


handsome stranger you have made him wonder

by tjmcharg



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Established Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, Friendship, Garrison trio, Kinda, Light Angst, M/M, Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Secret Relationship, Team Voltron Family, Temporary Amnesia, Temporary Character Death, This is a hard fic to tag, at about s3, i made myself scream, its only mentioned though, like absolute dumbass level oblivious, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-04-23 04:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19143457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tjmcharg/pseuds/tjmcharg
Summary: When Lance wakes up on a flying castle with no memories, a crew of familiar strangers and a million questions he's determined to rediscover what he lostSo what happens when his mysterious rival Keith returns to the castle they all call home?And why is Keith not acting the way Lance expected?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i got the idea for this fic when i had about 7 wips and it quickly became my favourite child  
> i hope you guys like it!!  
> as always a massive thanks to my beta [@almondblossoms](https://twitter.com/aImondbIossoms) this wouldn't make sense without her  
> i'm on both twitter ([frecklylance](https://twitter.com/frecklyIance)) and tumblr ([nerdydisneychild](https://nerdydisneychild.tumblr.com/)) so if you wanna come chat with me i'd love to hear from you!  
> ahhh okay enjoy!!

He woke up to white.   
White mind, white room, white clothes.   
He found that he could understand that everything was white, despite not knowing or understanding anything else, like what exactly white meant, or why everything was that way. His body sagged forward and he heard a sharp gasp before he dropped into bony arms, that tightened around him as he melted into them, his body weak and fragile as glass.   
As his eyes fluttered and focused more on the surroundings he found himself met with large hazel eyes staring at him, framed by ridiculously large glasses with slipped forward on the tiny girl’s nose. 

 

“Lance,” she sighed; that one word was overflowing with an exhausted kind of relief. Was that his name? Was he Lance? Who was this girl? She pulled him tightly against her tiny bird-like body, she felt breakable and tiny but her hug was strong and powerful.  
“Don’t do that again you absolute dick, I was so fucking worried.” He heard the slight break in her voice on the last word, a tiny sob, and realised she was crying. He still had no idea what was happening only that he felt a very intense need to protect this girl. She felt close to him, familiar and almost sisterly, someone he loved like a member of his family - maybe she was family?   
He wrapped his arms around her instinctively before responding with a voice that scratched with lack of use, “I-I’m sorry,” the fear that was coursing through his veins was slightly calmed by a strange affection he felt towards this girl he didn’t know. 

 

He felt sick with confusion, who was this girl? Why did she feel so familiar? Who was  _ he _ ?   
Questions were slipping and sliding in his brain, rapid fire changing and he had no way of slowing them down.   
Every place the unknown girl was touching him felt scalding hot and itchy but at the same time it felt normal. The concoction of confusion that was boiling in his stomach began to feel unbearable. 

  
“I was so worried,” she repeated again as though he would understand; he wanted so badly to understand.   
Finally he managed to spit out the words that he somehow knew would be horrid for her to hear, “I’m sorry but I don’t know who you are.” 

 

The girl went rigid in his arms, pulling away from him slightly so she was looking up at him, brown tufty hair exploding around her head like a firework and dark circles apparent under her eyes, as though she hadn’t slept for a week.   
“Lance don’t mess with me please, I can’t take it right now,” she sounded so upset and the tears welling up in her eyes made him feel sick with guilt. The connection he felt to this stranger tugged at him even stronger; an anchor amidst the crashing waves of his thoughts. 

 

Lance - that was definitely his name - shook his head hurriedly, swallowing the guilt as best as he could, “I’m not messing with you, I’m really sorry, I don’t know who you are.”   
She shuddered once, like her whole body was rebooting and the tears leaked across her cheeks, “Or who I am for that matter,” he added.   
The girl stepped out of his arms, hands tangling into her toffee hair and tugging sharply, “Fuck,” was all she could seem to say. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she repeated the sentiment another four times. 

 

A  _ whoosh _ sound broke the tense stillness of the room, Lance spun around to be met with a massive boy standing in the doorway, a massive smile of relief stretching his face. The feeling of familiarity only strengthened when they locked eyes; he definitely felt close to this boy.   
“Lance!” the giant boy exclaimed, his orange headband flying behind him as he surged forward and threw his arms around Lance. He scooped him up and Lance felt his body melt into the embrace, it felt so normal, so familiar, so brotherly. 

 

Someone else spoke from behind the hug Lance was receiving, he tried to pretend he couldn’t feel tears prick his eyes as his brain struggled to remember who this person was, who he was,  _ anything _ .   
“Pidge? What’s wrong?” It was a deep, strong voice which struck a feeling of respect from within Lance, like his body knew involuntarily that this person was an idol to him. The giant boy released him from his hug, turning worried eyes towards the girl behind them. She was still breathing heavily and clearly trying to hurriedly wipe away the tears spilling, as though she was embarrassed to be caught crying. 

 

“He doesn’t remember,” she (Pidge?) whispered, pushing her glasses up on her nose and standing taller, only the dried tears on her face and her shaking voice betraying the sadness she had just been displaying. Everyone froze, a sharp inhale travelling around the room.   
It was only then that Lance realised it wasn’t just the four of them in the room. He let his eyes wander past the tall figure with a shock of white hair and a scar across his nose - a strong feeling of respect - towards the new strangers standing by the door. The first was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, although admittedly he could only remember Pidge. She evoked a feeling of comfort, and like the leader with the scar, Lance understood that he respected her a great deal, but maybe she was also sisterly like Pidge. Then to the side of her was a man with an incredible orange moustache who evoked in Lance a bond of friendship, someone he could talk to. 

And then… no one, but there was an ache, as though something was missing. 

 

Everyone was staring at him with wide eyes, these strangers he knew nothing about and yet felt so close to. The big guy who had delivered Lance the most incredible hug of his life spoke first, breaking the silence, “Lance? Do you remember us?” He sounded broken and terrified but Lance didn’t even understand what he was supposed to be feeling, should he remember them? How does he even know if he can trust them?   
The feeling of connection to them wrapped around his chest and squeezed, compressing his airway, he definitely was meant to know these people, but he didn’t. It was too much.   
“No!” He sobbed, his body crumpling like a piece of paper into a tiny ball, he found himself on the floor, every time he sobbed it ached in his bones and snapped, “I’m so sorry,” he said through the tears. 

  
Those words seemed to snap everyone to attention and they surged forward and then slunk back when he made a shriek of fear, “Pidge,” he said.   
Pidge rushed forward to him all the way, putting a small skinny hand on the slope of his shoulder in an awkward semblance to comfort.   
“Lance, breathe okay?” She instructed and he nodded, managing to draw out sharp breaths from between the tears, “It’s okay, we’ll work this out.” She patted her hand against his shoulder blade stiffly, he guessed that maybe she wasn’t very in tune with how to comfort people. She was the only one he knew the name of though, his instincts - or maybe the bonds he held with these people - told him he wanted the big guy to help but he didn’t know how to ask. 

 

He let the tears take their course, the strangers (Friends? Family?) didn’t leave and slowly Pidge managed to help him stand up and make his way over to a chair on the far side of the room. Once he had calmed enough to talk the beautiful woman stepped forward, her long silver hair shining in the white room’s light, “Lance, what can we do to help?” She asked gently, her voice was very different to Pidge’s, he didn’t know the right words to describe it, couldn’t remember the right words, but he knew it was different. 

 

He took another deep breath, focusing on the gentle weight of Pidge’s hand still resting stiffly against his shoulder, “I want to know your names,” he said, “please.”   
The group seemed to relax, albeit the uncomfortable atmosphere remained, the beautiful woman smiled softly, a fond but worried look muddled in her bright blue eyes.   
“My name is Princess Allura, but you all call me Allura,” she introduced herself. It was then that Lance’s eyes honed in on the small jewel embedded in a tiara on her head, a princess huh?  
The big guy waved a hand, Lance noticed he had tears in his eyes, “I’m Hunk you’re my-”  
“Best friend?” Lance supplied and the group seemed to explode with shock, he hadn’t meant to interrupt but it was like his body  _ knew _ they were best friends. 

 

“Do you know us or not?” Pidge demanded, she didn’t sound angry per se, almost confused and intrigued. The group of people stared at him, waiting.   
Lance hesitated, unsure how to explain what he was feeling, “Well I don’t know anything about you, but I can feel our connection?” He said, they stared back at him blankly, he sighed heavily and attempted to rephrase, “I can feel some sort of bond between us, but I don’t know who you are, so you’re like familiar strangers.”   
“Familiar strangers,” Pidge repeated, a weird gleam in her eye.   
Lance nodded in agreement, “Yeah like I know that you’re,” he pointed towards the scarred guy, “like a leader or someone I respect,” he felt like he should be embarrassed to admit that out loud but the leader guy beamed like he was proud of Lance. 

 

“I’m Shiro,” he introduced himself, sticking out a hand for Lance to shake. He took it gratefully, before freezing with yet another realisation, the hand was made of metal which was cold to the touch. He tried not to let it phase him, but Shiro clearly noticed, sending him another smile.   
The crazy moustache sporting man stepped forward, the last to introduce himself, which he did with a massive smile stating, “The name’s Coran my boy, and personally I’m simply glad you’re here with us.” 

 

Lance smiled involuntarily at the man, Coran, he was bright and comfortable. Yet still he found himself waiting for something, that same ache of longing twinged in his chest but he quelled it, since he was likely longing for his missing memories.   
He noticed strange markings on the side of both Coran and Allura’s faces and out of curiosity spoke up, “Why do you two have marks?” The group stilled once again and Hunk smiled at him sheepishly.   
“There’s a lot to catch you up on buddy.” 

 

~-~-~

 

“No way!” 

“I swear I’m telling the truth.” 

“I’ve flown two space lions?” 

“Yep! Blue and Red.” 

 

“Woah.” Lance leaned back in his chair, staring at Hunk with eyes blown wide. He could see how the two had been best friends, the comfort Lance felt with the boy was vast. There was still that weird ache though, the feeling that there was something more that Lance didn’t understand. Admittedly there was a whole 18 years worth of things Lance still didn’t understand, but it was something more than that.   
Hunk shrugged, “I’ve always just been with Yellow, same with Pidge and Green, and kinda Shiro and Black I guess,” Hunk furrowed his eyebrows so far they almost became one, “That gets a little complex because Keith technically flies Black now but Shiro never changed.” 

 

Something pinged in Lance’s mind, a doorbell of… of  _ something _ , recognition perhaps? Either way his curiosity sparked once again despite the way his arms and legs were filling with heavy liquid and his eyelids were coated with a thick lead.   
“Keith?” He said, leaning forward to prompt Hunk into talking again, he could see the big guy was getting a bit tired. Also, Lance noted with a guilty pang, a little saddened to see his best friend so clueless.   
Although Hunk seemed to subconsciously be drooping in his seat he smiled warmly at Lance’s interest, “Keith is the pilot of the Black Lion, former pilot of the Red Lion, he’s a part of our little family but he’s kinda reserved and you two don’t get along well at all,” Hunk shrugged as though this was old news. 

 

Lance felt his chest drop again. So Keith wasn’t the answer to his weird empty feeling if they didn’t get along, “Why aren’t we friends?” He asked with a small pout.   
Hunk laughed at his expression softly, “You guys are friends, just not close at all, you’re kind of self proclaimed rivals,” he explained, shrugging once again.   
They slipped into a companionable but charged silence, it was brotherly in the way that only two people who really know each other can be, but uncomfortable because one of those people doesn’t remember their history. Lance swallowed the tears bubbling in his throat.   
Not in front of Hunk. 

 

“Hey buddy I think it might be time to head to bed yeah? I can show you your room?” Hunk scratched the back of his head sheepishly, the bags under his eyes getting more prominent by the second.   
Lance nodded with an understanding smile, he doesn’t want to push Hunk further than necessary, the big guy seemed quite sensitive.   
No matter how much he didn’t want to be alone with his missing history. 

 

Hunk pointed out landmarks along the journey, the kitchen, the training deck, the elevator that leads to “an upside down pool”, Hunk’s room, Pidge’s cave - as dubbed by Hunk - and the rest of the bedrooms.   
“And this is your room!” Hunk stepped to the side revealing a white door with a shining panel.   
“It’s opposite Keith’s which has caused some…” He paused for a moment before grinning, “Disagreements in the past, but he’s not here right now so nothing to worry about!”   
Lance tried for a smile but it must have come out as more of a nervous grimace because Hunk gave him a ‘pat’ on the back that almost knocked all the air out of his lungs. 

 

“Night buddy,” were Hunk’s parting words as he left Lance by the shining panel with instruction to wave his hand in front of it. Lance was told only he and whoever he gave the handprint to would be able to unlock the door. According to Hunk, he had refused to give that honour out.   
Then Lance was alone, with nothing but an unfamiliar door leading to an unfamiliar room, and no one to prepare him for what he would find.   
“You can do this Lance,” he whispered to himself, waving his hand in front of the panel and grinning as it glowed blue, at the very least he would hopefully learn more about himself in here. 

 

The door slid open to reveal a heavily lived in room; it was filled with trinkets and photos, all of which belonged to a boy who had so much Lance didn’t. Pictures filled the walls, selfies with aliens, tiny children with glowing eyes dangling from his arms, landscapes with purple and blue trees, a sunset, and beside all of those were notes from admirers which had dutifully translated English inscribed on them. A mirror hung in the center of this collection of photos, the centerpiece.   
Two empty glasses of water sat beside a pair of glasses Lance felt like he didn’t need on a bedside table, string fairy lights twinkled around the whole room. Small crystals glowed on the shelves beside a collection of rocks, a dying succulent, a purple hair brush, a stack of books which were miraculously in English. 

 

Then the more intriguing objects, a drawing of Lance done in charcoal with a gun drawn in his grasp and a smile on his face, tucked carefully beneath the mattress. An orange tablet which was lying on his desk beneath a pile of papers, filled with photos. A crumpled black t-shirt which smelt of something so familiar that it made Lance’s stomach lurch and pool with heat, folded under his pillow.   
“Who were you Lance?” He asked the air, as though his memories would come waltzing in and answer him. 

 

Despite the exhaustion that was seeping into his every movement he convinced himself to explore the tablet further, whether due to curiosity or the way his stomach curdled at the idea of sleep he didn’t know. It was so light he wasn’t sure whether it was real or not, but it responded to his touch as he fiddled with the different features and managed to locate collections of photos.   
There had to be hundreds of photos in there, some that matched the ones on his wall, which prompted Lance to believe he had taken all of them which… woah. His face appeared in some, with random aliens or the others from around the ship, none seemed to contain the unknown Keith. 

 

He swiped through some, smiling sadly as he watched himself sign autographs for alien fans, pulling faces with Pidge, taking impossibly glamorous photos with Allura, grinning with Hunk.  
With a jolt he realised he had reached the end of the folder, he shrunk it away until there were a selection of folders displayed before him. Each named ridiculous things like  _ my beautiful face _ ,  _ the greatest people you’ll ever meet _ and lastly, a locked folder titled,  _ if you don’t know don’t bother. _

 

He frowned at it, clicking and praying the lock would open, instead a dark and gut dropping box demanding a password appeared. Maybe Lance was tired, maybe the pain of not knowing himself was too much, but seeing that 4 figure password and knowing he could do nothing about it was too much. Salty, fat tears spilled across his cheeks, stinging his eyes and making him splutter and choke with pain. He heard the tablet clatter to the ground as he wrapped his arms around his stomach in an attempt to keep the fractured pieces of himself together.   
Or what was left of himself. He felt so empty and confused, what could be in that folder? Would anyone know? He should know the password to unlock it but he had nothing left. No memories to help him navigate his already chaotic life. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmm is that a mullet i see?

Lance must have fallen asleep at some point; he woke up to a loud thumping on his door and salt crusts clinging to his eyelashes. The pounding grew incessantly louder and he scrambled to the door, gently rubbing away the salt so he could see clearer. The door slid open to reveal a manic Pidge, the bags under her eyes were ever present, if not darker than the day before and her hair was tousled to the point where Lance wasn’t positive she had brushed it at all. 

“Get dressed you noodle I need to run some tests on you,” she said in lieu of greeting before running off in the direction of the med bay. 

 

He was once again left alone in his room that he didn’t recognise, with the photos that might as well have been taken by another boy. Maybe the sleep had helped, he didn’t feel horrible about that any more, maybe it was because of the excitement that had been twinkling in Pidge’s eyes.   
He spared a glance at the orange tablet as he tugged on one of his long sleeve tops (weirdly all exactly the same) and made the decision to print out the photo he had found of himself, Hunk and Pidge all laughing. If for no other reason than motivation to remember that moment. 

 

At the door he hesitated before quickly ducking in and holding the black t-shirt to his chest. What it meant he wasn’t sure, all Lance knew was the scent made everything feel so good for a moment that he could almost forget how confusing everything was.   
_ Maybe Pidge or Hunk would understand it _ he mused, but something made him think he kept more secrets from those two than he wanted to admit. He might keep it to himself for now. 

Pidge grinned at him when he walked into the lab, her body bent over a series of swabs and confusing technology, some of which was glowing an alarming blue. She ushered him over to a chair without looking away from a blinking screen, mumbling scientific equations and different names that Lance didn’t recognise to herself.

 

“So essentially, I went over the mission brief with Allura last night,” Pidge launched directly into an explanation without warning. Lance’s neck almost cricked as he whipped it around to watch her, “and we both realised the hit you received most likely caused the memory loss and it was an unknown laser type, so there’s a potential we can work out how to reverse it using data collected from that laser.” She finally looked away from her handheld screen and locked eyes with him. 

“Sounds great…” he trailed off and she looked at him expectantly, there was one question that was niggling at his mind more than the others, “Just… how  _ did _ I lose my memories?”  
Pidge made a noise akin to choking on a piece of food, as though it had lodged her windpipe and she was hacking it back up. Lance leaned forward to help her before realising she had choked on nothing at all; her eyes were ever so slightly glazed over and her lip was quivering as she tried to hold back emotion.   
“You um-” she broke off, heaving a deep breath before starting again, “We were on a mission together, just a recon mission and it was only the two of us which in hindsight was a stupid idea because what if something went wrong and we didn’t have the others and then it did and-”   
“Woah Pidge,” Lance broke her off, reaching out to place a hand on her shaking arm, “slow down, it’s okay.” 

 

She took another deep breath, it shuddered in her chest, “It was meant to be a simple mission, there was a valley we couldn’t check out from in the lions so we decided to go by foot,” she continued, “we got ambushed by some of Haggar’s experiments and one of them shot at me and you-” she broke off again, turning away to face the swabs and equipment.   
“I what?” Lance prompted.   
“You took the blast for me, I didn’t even see it coming but your scream was… it was so loud.” Pidge shot a glance at him before looking away just as quickly, “You stopped breathing Lance, for two minutes, the cryopods only just saved you.”   
It was at that moment that Lance could see how terrified Pidge was, how desperately she wanted this to work. She wanted to make up for him almost dying for her, and he knew he would do it again. He barely remembered his friends but he knew he would almost die and lose his memories for them a million times. So he smiled at her reassuringly, “Fire away Pidgey!”   
Maybe the nickname was common, or maybe his cheerful attitude was rubbing off on her, either way Pidge seemed to relax a little at his words. 

 

She nodded at first, working silently, before the tension eased from her form; she began chattering away to him whilst running diagnostics and scans, swabbing his arm and expressing her relief that he hadn’t showered.   
“Even though you would probably die if you had skipped your skin care routine and I’ll likely never hear the end of this the more you learn about yourself,” she rambled, glasses glinting in the fresh morning lighting of the room. 

 

The morning continued like that, Pidge telling him stories about herself, the castleship, and Lance, with him butting in to ask questions or give responses, careful to avoid mentioning the mission where he lost his memories.   
Eventually a comfortable silence settled over them, Lance found himself surprisingly at ease in the testing environment, with a needle in his arm and Pidge’s face entirely too close to his, as she examined his eyes for any changes.   
“Hey Pidge?” He broke the silence as she turned and scribbled something into the tablet behind them, she hummed in response not looking away from her work. “Is there a date or a password that I might use as a passcode?”

 

Pidge froze and turned to him with furrowed eyebrows, “I don’t know any dates that are special to you except your birthday,” she said, “Why do you ask?”   
Lance dropped his eyes, he could feel the confusion radiating off Pidge like a sonar signal, “I found a folder of photos in my tablet but it’s locked,” he explained, twisting his fingers around in his lap and continuing to avoid eye contact with her.   
There was a long silence, nowhere near as comfortable as the one they had been sitting in earlier before Pidge spoke. “I don’t know sorry…” she trailed off and Lance could sense she wasn’t finished, “And I also don’t know what you would have been putting in that folder, you’re a completely open person.” 

_ Apparently not completely _ he thought to himself, mind returning to the smoothly folded drawing under his mattress, the folder of photos locked away, and the black t-shirt that smelt of home. 

 

Pidge paused and then a massive smirk overtook her face, “I can probably hack into it if you want.” She continued working away on his tests, “Maybe you had a secret girlfriend?”   
“Maybe…” Something about that itched in Lance’s chest, but the folder itself didn’t hold the same connection his friends did - or normal Lance’s friends - he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He wanted to feel attachments to things, to his room, his tablet, his clothes, but everything except for the people surrounding him felt like nothing but remnants of the person he couldn’t remember. 

Pidge continued jabbing at him and taking tests in silence, and Lance let his mind slip away.

 

~-~-~

 

He was beginning to reassemble parts of his life, like he was being given puzzle pieces slowly over time, struggling to put together a whole picture as he was without all the information he needed. Altogether, it was an improvement either way, since now his strands of information were at least forming parts of the boy he was meant to be.   
Hunk made a comment about how normal Lance was acting, he could almost forget that he had lost all his memories, which was interesting.   
“You’ll probably be bickering with Keith within seconds,” Pidge agreed with a snicker, tinkering with her tablet, inspecting charts which Lance assumed contained his vitals as she attempted to regain his lost memories. 

 

The name Keith drew his attention yet again, “Why do you all keep mentioning him so much? If I supposedly hate him?”   
Both his friends paused, staring at him as though startled by the question. Eventually Hunk spoke, “Well he’s one of our friends, our family. You two just don’t really get along,” he shrugged as though that explained everything, as though it didn’t leave Lance with more questions. 

 

Why did Lance hate his own friend?   
How did Keith fit into the dynamic of their family?   
Most importantly, was he the answer to the feeling of loss Lance had on his shoulders? 

He didn’t ask any of these questions. Instead he asked, “When does he come back?” Which shocked Pidge and Hunk again.   
They seemed to wilt at his question, “We don’t know,” Hunk explained, before continuing to say that the Blade of Marmora - Lance chose not to ask - tended to play time frames by ear rather than to exact scheduled plans. Clearly something that bothered the group, since Pidge’s eyebrows crept further and further down her face. 

 

With that explained, the conversation changed to possible meal ideas for Hunk to make while Lance settled into the familiarity his friends brought. He continued to prefer being with his friends over being alone, even though he didn’t remember any of their history. Particularly when Hunk and Pidge told him stories about himself, joking around as though nothing was wrong, and simply treated him as though he was just a less aware version of their friend; happy to explain anything Lance wanted to know. 

 

Allura was also easy to spend time with; he could tell the two were comfortable together, and in the last four days that Lance could remember she had joined him every second night for “spa time”. Spa time, seemed to mean face masks and gossip. Which Lance had seriously enjoyed so far. She maintained a more serious demeanor around the entire group, but was also giggly and quick with a witty comeback. When it was just the two of them he felt that strong sense of sisterly love, and she had told him much about his family back on Earth, a repeat of all the information he had told her during their sessions. 

  
The most awkward was Shiro. He was rather stiff and Lance found it difficult to converse with him, knowing nothing about him. Shiro was like an intense father figure, who didn’t seem to know how to speak to Lance without his memories. So Lance tried to avoid him as much as possible, feeling guilty for causing the stilted conversations between them.

Although Coran was kind and a happy figure, he found he couldn’t understand a word of what the man said to him. Pidge said none of them really did. 

 

As their conversation drifted off Lance made his way back to his bedroom. His eyelids sunk heavily, as though filled with lead. His movements were sluggish as he slumped into bed, so exhausted he could barely think, but the second his head hit the pillow he could do nothing  _ but _ think.   
Facts he had learnt throughout the day, stories he had been told, the Lance his friends knew slowly trickling back into himself. 

He sat up rigidly, eyes honed on the wall at the foot of his bed. He hadn’t been able to sleep properly since waking up from the healing pod. Something was tugging in his stomach, and his thoughts were rapid and muddled.  
He longed for- for- for _something._

 

“What do I do?” He whispered, as though hoping one of his friends will hear from the other side of the castle and tell him how to sleep.   
Maybe they had forgotten to say, 

“ _ Oh yeah Lance you always sleep upside down like a bat.” _

Or

_ “Sleep? Oh you sleep on the floor in the fetal position.”  _

Or… 

Lance turned his head to the piece of black fabric peeking out from underneath his pillow. He had been too scared to pick it up again because of the way the smell of the t-shirt made everything inside him warm. He was suspicious of that strange contedness, not understanding where it was stemming from. 

Now, he drew it out and hugged the material to his chest, instantly feeling his body unwind and his muscles collapse into the mattress. His mind went mushy with the warmth he felt.  
He was asleep in seconds. 

 

~-~-~

 

“PALADINS!” Allura’s voice wrenched Lance out of the first good sleep he’d had since losing his memories. Despite every part of his body groaning in protest, he dragged his body out of the bed, practically rolling to the floor. The clock on his wall informed his exhausted brain that it was actually early morning, and he had been asleep for a number or hours even if it felt like merely minutes.   
“REPORT TO THE HANGER IMMEDIATELY,” there was crackle and then Coran’s voice was adding in an equally deafening voice, “KEITH IS RETURNING!” 

 

Lance would adamantly deny it if anyone asked, but the news of Keith’s return spurred him into action. His curiosity about this final addition to their family was vast and he wanted to see the face behind the mysterious name.   
Sue him if he wanted to know more about his “rival”. Lance hadn’t stopped hearing about Keith, not only about the boy himself but the dynamic the group was sure the two of them would have. It was as though his name followed Lance from conversation to conversation, hanging over every person on the castle of lions, they clearly missed him. 

 

He pulled a shirt over his head, stuffing the black shirt back under his pillow, and stifling the embarrassment he felt about the garment, there was no reason for it after all. As he marched out of his room he carefully schooled his expression into something neutral and firmly  _ not _ excited.   
He got mildly lost on the way to the hangar, something that had been happening unfortunately often. The castle was vast and contained many twisted corridors that looked identical to each other. He managed to find the kitchen, pool and training deck before the hangar so by the time he arrived the group was huddled together chattering excitedly.

 

Lance was in the midst of attempting to peer over their heads to spot the boy, when Allura noticed him and called him over happily. He didn’t think he’d seen any of them as warm as they were now. Hunk was beaming, emitting a radiant light from the force of his happiness, and he tugged Lance into the group hug without a second thought.   
It was at that moment, squashed between his friends that he finally saw Keith, and everything burned. A feeling so strong he couldn’t breathe, or possibly work out what it was. 

 

With Hunk he felt a friendly connection, that only best friends could have. 

Pidge was a little sister feeling, like she was someone to tease but also protect. 

Allura, sisterly love. 

Shiro, mentorship. 

Coran, familial emotions. 

But Keith, it was impossible to tell. It was a burn, it was an overwhelming force, but it wasn’t a simple discernable emotion. It was so much more, and so much worse. 

 

Keith was staring at him, his dark violet eyes scalding Lance’s skin, eyebrows pulled down and furrowed. The hug finally disbanded and Keith stood to his full height, having been tugged downwards by the force of Pidge’s hug. Lance felt that  _ something _ roar in his chest as Keith stepped forward towards him. He had known he wouldn’t like Keith by what the others had told him but Lance had severely underestimated how intense that feeling would be.   
He was different to what Lance had expected, although he didn’t entirely know what he had expected at all. Definitely different to this though. Keith’s dark hair was pulled into a stubby ponytail, bangs hanging in his eyes. He was wearing a skin tight armour, which Lance assumed was from the Blade of Whatever, and he was staring at Lance like he was trying to communicate something with just his eyes. 

 

Lance sidestepped to avoid the awkward situation he had found himself in, trying to shove down the bubbling feeling that only seemed to be growing, which he still couldn't piece together. Fuck Keith and making him feel out of control again.   
Pidge was bouncing around Keith, asking questions about his mission and firing updates about some robot at him. Lance glared right back at Keith until the other boy finally looked away, eyes flashing with something painful, and grinning at the excited girl. 

With Keith successfully distracted he left before the situation could get any weirder. Heart set on seeking out some refuge to hopefully allow the feeling to settle into the connections he was used to. With his back turned and walking out of the room he didn’t see Keith stare after him, a hurt expression flashing across his otherwise happy face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm on both twitter ([frecklylance](https://twitter.com/frecklyIance)) and tumblr ([nerdydisneychild](https://nerdydisneychild.tumblr.com/)) so if you wanna come chat with me i'd love to hear from you!  
> comments kudos and really any kinda response is always super duper appreciated!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did someone order a dumbass with a side of "what is this feeling"?

In summary, Lance failed at hiding from everyone to sort out the tidal wave of unknown emotion Keith sent towards him every time they locked eyes. However, he managed to avoid the boy himself very successfully.   
Pidge and Hunk let it slide, assuming he was simply avoiding his rival. He did nothing to rebut this statement. He holed himself away in his room and tried desperately to calm himself in any way possible. As of the last two days (pleasantly Keith free) he had taken to trying endless combinations of passcodes in the hopes of unlocking the mysterious folder on his tablet. 

 

It was whilst he was whittling through the hours in this manner that someone paused outside his door. He heard their footsteps clomp in his direction before halting just before the bedroom. 

_ 1362, Fail. _

_ 1363, Fail. _

_ 1364, Fail. _

The door rushed open and Lance, being the dignified human he was, screeched loudly. 

 

The only explanation for his scream was that, it had become abundantly clear over the week he could remember, that only Lance could get into his room. As Hunk had explained on the first day, the door required a handprint, and that handprint had to be given by Lance himself. So he had grown lax with what he wore when on his own, boxers were far more comfortable than clothes after all. Therefore, the situation was thus, Lance was lying in nothing but boxers, sprawled across his bed in a very unflattering manner, with a double chin and his tablet resting on his  _ very bare _ chest.   
And standing at the open door was Keith, staring at him with what only could be described as confusion and hurt. 

 

“HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?” Lance shrieked in a very undignified manner, scrambling to cover himself with blankets and cushions. Keith froze staring at him as though Lance was the one losing his mind.  _ He _ wasn’t the person somehow hacking into other people’s rooms now  _ was _ he?   
“What do you mean how did I get in here?” Keith asked, it was at this point Lance discovered he had never heard Keith speak before. He had a deep voice, gravelly and strong, hearing it made the unknown emotion rear its head. Lance hated that fucking feeling, maybe that was why he hated Keith? 

 

Lance spluttered as what Keith had said finally registered, “W-wha- _ why _ are you in here? How did you get past the handprint thingy-ma-bob?” As Lance spoke Keith’s eyebrows crept further and further down his face until his dark eyes were no longer visible.   
“I’ve had a handprint for literally eleven months what are you on about?” Keith said. It was impossible to read the emotion in his voice, but Lance could certainly understand what he was saying.  
“YOU WHAT?” Lance screeched yet again, he was screeching too much in this conversation. 

 

He could tell that Keith was getting frustrated by the conversation but it wasn’t like that was  _ Lance’s _ fault. He didn’t want to lose his memories! Besides Keith knew he didn’t have any information on the last eleven months! He didn’t even know past a week!   
“Lance you’re being so weird, and if it’s because of what we were talking about before I left, we just need to talk about it. We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” Keith was moving closer and that was seriously distracting Lance from whatever he was talking about.   
“Stop coming closer,” Lance practically hissed, dropping his voice to a whisper, “I don’t know if you noticed but I’m only wearing  _ boxers _ !”   
Keith froze in the middle of the room, his eyebrows no longer obscuring his eyes but so far up his face they disappeared behind his bangs. 

“I know Lance? Why would that bother me?” He crossed his arms across his chest and this time it was Lance’s turn to be shocked.   
“EXCUSE ME?” Lance really needed to stop shouting, he knew that, Keith knew that, Earth - a million miles away - knew that. He couldn’t stop all the same.   
Keith was getting more and more frustrated as the conversation continued, Lance could see how they were rivals. “Just talk to me, we can work whatever this is out,” he urged, Lance almost would have felt bad if he wasn’t so confused. 

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lance huffed, pulling the covers up further to mask his still bare chest. Very much shirtless. Although apparently that didn’t bother Keith.   
He observed a plethora of emotions fly across Keith’s face, before the boy seemed to settle on pure hurt. Even Lance - who didn’t remember how to observe his friends faces, let alone Keith’s - felt a wave of guilt wash over him.   
“What do you want me to do? Is this even about our conversation?” Keith asked softly, his arms crossed in less of a defensive position and more of a hug for himself; eyes trained on the floor. 

 

“Keith,” Lance drew his attention with a single word, “I don’t remember our conversation-” Lance went to keep talking but froze for a moment at the way those words seemed to make Keith crumble further, his expression all but shattered.   
“I lost my memories,” Lance rectifies, finally understanding that no one had filled Keith in on Lance’s situation. 

 

Keith’s hurt expression was wiped instantly, all emotion dripping from his face like it had been scrubbed away, “What?” He gasped.   
Lance shrugged, vividly remembering the reactions of Pidge and Hunk, and the rest of the team, when he had originally told them. He shuffled further under the blankets, eager to get away from the awkwardness of the conversation.   
“I was hit with a beam when I was on a recovery mission with Pidge, apparently, a-and I lost my memories, I don’t remember anything past six days ago,” Lance stumbled over his words, feeling more and more mortified as Keith’s face grew more and more pained. 

 

There was a long silence, that stretched over them as thick and heavy as smog, before Keith finally broke it with words so soft they were barely there, “So you don’t remember me at all.” He confirmed.   
Lance nodded before attempting to ease the tension with, “Pidge and Hunk told me that we always bicker, and we’re rivals.” How that would ease the tension he didn’t know.   
Either way, it worked, Keith smiled in a bittersweet manner, dimples carving into his cheeks. “Keith and Lance, neck and neck,” he chuckled, it didn’t quite reach his eyes but Lance grinned. 

 

Lance crossed his arms over his chest as he sat up a bit straighter, still hyper aware of the fact that he wasn’t wearing much clothing, “Even without my memories I can definitely outrival than you,” he said, jutting his chin out in a dramatic way.   
Keith let out a snort of laughter, rolling his eyes in a way that could only be described as fond. He raised his hands in surrender with eyes that were progressively softening; they didn’t seem like rivals to Lance. “You’re certainly more invested in our rivalry than I am,” Keith teased, bumping the door panel with his hip. 

Lance couldn’t help but feel sad as he watched the boy retreat through the door, left only with swirling thoughts about the entire interaction.

 

~-~-~

 

That day brought a series of awkward and confusing situations all to do with Keith. 

Only twenty minutes after Keith left the room he was at Lance’s door again, only this time he knocked, leaving Lance to wonder if he had imagined Keith having the handprint in the first place. Lance was grateful he had decided to throw on some clothing as Keith smiled sheepishly, eyes swimming with a concoction of emotions that Lance couldn’t discern. The most evident being embarrassment, and perhaps a twinge of sadness, but Lance was sure he was reading too much into it. 

“Hello,” he greeted awkwardly, sharply aware of the awkwardness of this entire interaction. Keith shifted his feet, refusing to meet Lance’s eyes. Instead they were glancing all over the room, above Lance’s head, the side of the doorframe, anywhere else except for Lance himself.  
“I just need to get some stuff from in here,” he muttered, shuffling past Lance and into the 2room. “No please, do come in,” Lance grumbled under his breath, watching as Keith bustled around the room, picking up what Lance had thought were his possessions, until he had a small pile in his arms. They locked eyes only once throughout the entire interaction before Keith was shuffling back through the door, possessions in tow.   
“Why is your stuff in my room?” Lance asked as he watching Keith scan into his own room across the hall.   
Keith froze, shoulders bunched up to his ears before spinning slowly on his heel to face Lance, “It must’ve gotten mixed up?” His voice rose as though what he was saying was a question, unsure about his answer himself.   
Lance could do nothing but watch Keith as he nodded stiffly before scurrying into his room, the door sliding shut behind him.   
“What the fuck was that?” Lance asked into the air. 

 

This event was only the first of many, Keith continuously became awkward once in Lance’s presence, something Pidge was not hesitant to point out. Now that Lance had run into the boy he found no reason to ignore him. Finally emerging from his room, he found that Keith was everywhere he would like to be. Whether by coincidence or not, his inability to hold a conversation with Lance was a pain. Lance was finally beginning to understand why he and Keith didn’t get along, every conversation with him was like trying to pull teeth. He always did something which made the other boy clam up. Or even worse smile to himself as though Lance had said something which amused him; even if whatever Lance said was as amusing as the prospect of whatever Coran was making for dinner - read: not amusing at all. 

Like the time Lance had asked the group why his shampoo smelt so unlike Lance himself, and Keith had actually  _ smirked _ . What was so amusing about shampoo? The other paladin was weird, and Lance didn’t enjoy conversing with him at all, that was for certain. 

 

Conversations aside, even Keith’s actions had Lance sent into a whirlwind of confusion. 

He kept leaning against Lance’s shoulder before jumping away as though something had burned him. 

At one point during lunch he whispered to Lance a response to a remark he had never said aloud, before going dark red and not speaking for the rest of the meal. 

 

The cherry on the cake was when Keith started refusing to spar with him, despite being the only sparring partner available.   
“Dude I haven’t changed, you know that right?” He finally snapped, standing angrily above Keith who was busy doing sit ups on the floor. Keith stared at him, as though he couldn’t disagree more. His dark eyes burning into Lance’s blue ones. That only made Lance feel more irritated. How  _ dare _ this mullet-wearing-asshole treat Lance weirdly when the rest of the team had been fine?   
Lance wasn’t sure why he found it so difficult to keep his eyes away from the clenching muscles of Keith’s abs. Definitely jealousy. 

“It’s complicated,” Keith eventually huffed, taking the hand that Lance outstretched his way. He was blind if he thought he would get out of it that easy.  
Lance was prepared to continue arguing for a sparring partner, ready for nothing short of begging on his knees, instead Keith raised his fists, rolling his shoulders in anticipation.   
“Complicated how?” Lance questioned as he swept forward, throwing a few test blows at him, all of which were easily blocked.   
Keith was too relaxed, too nonchalant about the way he knocked Lance’s fists back, it grated him until his teeth were grinding together.   
“Complicated like complicated,” Keith shrugged as though that cryptic response meant anything to Lance. Keith sidestepped calmly as Lance struck out for his ribs, missing by miles. 

 

Keith huffed a laugh, dancing around Lance with ease as though he had done this a million times before. “You’re right, you haven’t changed at all,” he teased, kicking out and striking Lance behind the knees, watching as he toppled to the floor, “same predictable moves.”   
Lying there on the floor, Keith standing above him with a gloating smirk on his face made that emotion double tenfold. His nerves twitched as he leapt to his feet, “Best of three?” 

 

So it begun.   
Feet swishing and skidding across the floor.   
Punches landing on his shoulders and stomach, occasionally his own fists landing on Keith.   
“You aren’t as difficult to beat,” Keith tutted as they backed off, circling each other like lions. Lance growled and something red rose in Keith’s cheeks. Exertion from the fight. Certainly.   
He noticed a weak spot in the way Keith was relaxing into the fight, something to take advantage of.   
“You haven’t beaten me yet cabrón,” he purred, observing the red that was definitely creeping up Keith’s neck, he wondered what that could be.   
However Keith didn’t even flinch as he teased, or demand to know what Lance was saying to him in the way Lance had been expecting. Instead he smirked, raising an eyebrow and saying, “Maybe I haven’t been trying  _ tonto _ .” 

 

Lance stuttered to a halt, his arms dropping weakly as he stammered, “Did you just speak in Spanish?”   
In his moment of hesitation his guard slipped, and Keith leapt forward, knocking Lance over and the air out of his chest. They scrambled on the floor, Lance using his gangly legs to his advantage as he kicked at Keith.   
Despite his valiant effort, Lance found himself pinned to the ground, both the other boy’s legs straddling his waist, a purple knife pointed at his throat. 

 

There was that fucking feeling again, roaring inside him and burning him from the inside out. So overwhelming it was impossible to tell anything except for how dizzy Lance suddenly felt. Keith smirked at him, leaning down until his breath was warm against the shell of Lance’s ear, “I win.”   
He stood up, moving the knife away from Lance’s throat and grinning down at him. 

 

Lance was no idiot, he knew that the blood and excitement rushing to… ehrm… that area, was no feeling of hatred. He supposed you’d have to be blind not to see that Keith was attractive, and having him essentially sitting on Lance’s lap, did things to him. The only thing he couldn’t work out was why no one had mentioned this to him.   
He was pretty sure most boys didn’t get this turned on from having an attractive boy sit on their lap, but none of his friends had mentioned the potential of him being bisexual. They had mentioned alien girls he had tried to hook up with over the years, and the idea of him having a secret girlfriend. Never a boy though.   
He would get to the bottom of this. 

After sorting out his  _ little problem _ before anyone noticed, especially Keith. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *humming what is this feeling from wicked* 
> 
> dont forget im on tumblr ([nerdydisneychild](https://nerdydisneychild.tumblr.com/)) and twitter ([frecklylance](https://twitter.com/frecklyIance))
> 
> comments, kudos and any interaction really is always appreciated!   
> this'll update pretty much every friday unless it doesnt work timing wise!   
> see you soon!!!


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the team were finishing barely any time after Keith and Lance wrapped up their sparring session. They all made their way to the kitchen where Lance was already waiting. Accompanying his thoughts with the tangy taste of a juice that wasn’t dissimilar to orange, the sweet fruit distracting from the confusion swirling in his mind. The situation couldn’t have been working better for Lance. Shiro, Keith and Coran had clearly opted out of eating, so only Pidge, Hunk and Allura walked through the doors.   
They were chatting amongst themselves, at first not noticing Lance sitting there watching them. 

  
Hunk beamed when they caught eyes and made his way over, scooping a juice to match Lance.   
“How was sparring?” He asked, pulling up a chair beside Lance. He barely noticed Pidge and Allura moving around the table, taking their own juice and sitting in a similar way to Lance, since he was too busy trying desperately not to think about Keith sitting on his lap, pinning him to the ground.   
“It was fine,” he managed to spit out, hoping no one noticed the high pitched squeak of his voice. Pidge raised her eyebrows at him over her juice packet. 

 

Conversation slipped into natural chatter easily. Hunk told Lance stories about past experiences of Lance and Keith sparring while Pidge chimed in with details he missed. Allura would occasionally interrupt and explain some backstory.    
It was comfortable, it was homely, but Lance couldn’t keep his mind off that sparring session. More specifically its conclusion. 

 

Eventually he interrupted Hunk as he went to begin another story, “Have I ever mentioned the possibility of liking guys?” He blurted, shoulders tensed and waiting for a response.   
His friends did not disappoint. Pidge inhaled so sharply she began to choke on juice, Hunk’s eyes grew to the size of saucers and Allura, bless her soul, managed to remain mostly composed; although her eyebrows appeared to be hidden in her hairline. 

 

“If you mean the idea of you being gay…” Hunk responded, still looking as though Lance had admitted to being a french maid, rather than potentially liking boys, “I seriously doubt that, and you definitely never mentioned it. You were basically obsessed with women.”   
Pidge nodded, finally recovering from her coughing fit, “You flirted with any alien who resembled a female!”   
“Surely in our gossip sessions you would have said something,” Allura pointed out.   
Suddenly all three of them were speaking over each other, a cacophony of noise. 

“Not to mention-”

“Besides I’m sure it would have come up-” 

“Don’t forget-” 

“Nyma, Plaxum, Splurt, Weebok, Draxallia, Queen Mora-” 

“Definitely like women-” 

“Can’t remember a time when-” 

“Alexandria, Moralo, Dana, Sweela-” 

 

The manic shouting was snapped to halt by Keith’s voice at the door, “What on Earth are you all screaming about?”   
He had a soft smile on his face, as though walking in to the four of them in this kind of situation wasn’t unusual. Everyone paused, turning to Lance, waiting for permission.   
“I just asked if I’d ever mentioned the possibility of liking guys,” Lance admitted, cheeks burning and foot twitching.   
Keith looked like Lance had slapped him, eyes blown wide and terrified, mouth hanging open, every muscle of his body Lance could see was tensed.   
Not that Lance was looking at his rival’s body. 

 

“It’s just a question Keith,” he huffed, furrowing his eyebrows in irritation, before demanding, “you’re not homophobic are you?”   
Pidge began to cackle at his words as Keith responded, finally snapping out of his stupor, “I’m gay Lance, not homophobic.” He jumped onto the table, joining the conversation.   
“Oh well that’s cool, I uh, sorry,” Lance stumbled over his words like they were obstacles in a difficult video game. Keith smirked at him and everything went hot again,  _ dear lord above _ , this didn’t seem like a rivalry to him. “Coolios! The coolest,” he shot Keith finger guns, internally screaming at that horrible decision. 

 

Instead of looking weirded out like Lance was expecting Keith grinned teasingly, flashing white canines at Lance, “totally cool,” he shot back.   
Before Lance could dig himself any deeper into a hole of awkwardness, Hunk took away the shovel by speaking up, “Why do you think you might like boys?”   
Never mind, maybe Hunk was just fetching him a bigger shovel.   
Heat rose up his neck, and he desperately tried not to look at Keith as he fumbled for an excuse. It wasn’t like he could just say,  _ Oh I got a little too excited when my supposed rival was pinning me to the ground beneath him.  
_ There was a multitude of reasons that would go badly. Aside from the fact that said rival was sitting right there, Hunk and Pidge would lose their shit. 

 

“That seems like a bit of a personal question,” someone said, saving Lance’s ass. Looking up Lance realised that it was Keith who had just saved him. For all his teasing just moments earlier, the boy was suddenly extremely serious. The bond tugged at him again, still as impossible to decipher as ever, but stronger.   
Hunk had the decency to look sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck, “Sorry about that Lance.”   
“It’s all good buddy!” He nudged his shoulder into Hunk’s, sending a smile the big guy’s way. The room was still charged with energy, Keith was staring at his lap as though he was upset about something. Although what, Lance didn’t know. 

 

Finally Allura broke the tense silence, the first thing she had said since Keith entered the room. “I think Hunk meant that you’ve just never expressed that before. I seriously doubt you’re gay Lance, you show a lot of interest in girls.”   
Lance wanted to point out that he might be bisexual, that he might like both, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He knew they would be accepting, they clearly were with Keith, but he had a feeling he had thought of this conversation before. He didn’t want to mess it up. 

“You’re probably right,” he tried for a bright smile, “were the ladies all over this?” He asked dramatically, rolling his hips and winking for extra effect. Suddenly the room was alive again, Pidge rattling off all the times Lance flirted with female aliens at the wrong time. Hunk adding times it had gone right. Allura telling him about the stories he had told her during their gossip sessions. 

Lance didn’t notice Keith’s silence, or the way his hands were clenched underneath his legs, eyes red and stinging.

 

~-~-~

 

  1. _Fail._
  2. _Fail._
  3. _Fail._
  4. _Fail._



 

Lance let out a loud groan, dropping his head forwards smacking it into the coffee table. Hunk winced and patted his head, “You’ll work it out buddy,” he encouraged. Lance didn’t respond, squeezing his eyes shut and pretending the table would swallow his head whole and spit him out with the password.   
“You’re sure you don’t know what it could be?” He asked, mouth pressed against the table so it came out as more of a “ _ jasure ya don’ no whacouldbee?”  
_ Hunk somehow managed to decode that, and made a noise of confirmation, “Unless it’s your mum’s birthday?” 

 

“When’s that?” he groaned, sitting up and pulling the tablet back onto his lap, glaring at the demanding message asking for his password. Who even locks photo folders?   
“30th of June I think?”  
_ Fail.  
_ “Nope,” Lance sighed, flopping forwards yet again, ignoring the clatter of his tablet hitting the ground. 

 

He heard footsteps enter the room, but didn’t bother to lift his head. He would wallow in frustration in peace thank you very much.   
“What’s up with dead boy over here?” Pidge’s voice rang out and Lance opted out of responding, choosing to just scream into the table.   
“Password?”   
“Password,” Hunk confirmed. 

 

Lance sat bolt upright, a manic twitch in his eye, “There is a folder in my personal tablet that only I should be able to get into. And. I. Can’t.” He locked eye contact with Keith, who must have entered the room with Pidge. He looked mildly uncomfortable, which admittedly was probably due to Lance’s wild expression.   
Lance spun around to stare at Pidge and Hunk, “Are you absolutely  _ sure _ neither of you two know something I might have used as a password?” He demanded.   
Both Hunk and Pidge glanced at each other before shaking their heads, “Sorry Lance, I didn’t even know you had anything to lock away,” Pidge admitted. 

 

Hunk gently pried the tablet out of Lance’s hands, smiling soothingly at him. “Maybe it’s time to take a break from the password hunt?” He suggested, voice soft and sweet, as though he was talking to a baby. Lance pouted, crossing his arms tightly across his chest, but he allowed the conversation to be shifted.   
Or he would have if Keith didn’t ask, “Why do you care so much about the password?” as he sat on the couch beside Hunk, stretching his legs out so they were leaning on the coffee table. Just beside Lance’s head. 

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know mullet,” he retorted angrily, shoving Keith’s feet away from his face. Keith scowled in response.   
“No reason to snap.” He leaned forward so his eyes were level with Lance’s. Perhaps Lance had gotten it wrong, and the larger than life bond he felt towards Keith was hatred. It certainly felt that way now. Keith’s frustrated expression egged him on, his face only inches from Lance’s. Lance growled, “Maybe I wouldn’t snap if you didn’t ask questions that don’t concern you.” 

 

Keith’s expression darkened further, until his eyes were the only light on his face, gleaming.   
He pushed his head forward until they were knocking against each other. Pushing backwards and forwards. Rams butting for their honour. 

“Why can’t you answer the question?” 

“Why do you need to know?” 

“You don’t even know why you care do you?” 

Lance hissed, mouth already opening to retort when Hunk’s hands were driving them apart. Both their friends wore an exasperated expression, giving the impression this was a performance they had memorised. 

 

“Can you two turn down the testosterone please?” Pidge groaned, rubbing her temples as she turned back to her own tablet. “I’m trying to work out how we can access Lance’s memories again. You two comparing dick sizes is really distracting.”   
Both Lance and Keith exploded into a flurry of denial and spluttering, hands flying backwards and forwards as they argued back against her crude words. Lance in his desperation to rebut her remark didn’t notice how red Keith had gone, nor the fact that his own face was turning a similar shade. 

 

She rolled her eyes, a small smirk toying at the corners of her mouth, “some things never change.”   
“I’ll have you know size doesn’t matter,” Lance replied huffily; trying his best to look dignified and motivational, whilst tomato red at the tease.   
Pidge’s smile only grew, until she looked positively evil. “Can’t say I give much regard to dicks in general, unless their gender doesn’t correspond to their owning one,” she said, returning to her tablet. 

 

This left Lance staring at her in confusion.   
“What?” He asked, shuffling around on his butt until they were face to face. Pidge didn’t look up, glasses glinting in the light of her tablet. He began persistently poking at her leg in an attempt to gain her attention. After almost three minutes of relentless poking, Keith and Hunk watching on in amusement, she finally gave in. 

 

“Yes?” Her hazel eyes flashing menacingly and had Lance been less stubborn he might have backed down for sheer will to live.   
Instead he forged onwards, “Explain your comment.”   
She let out a disgruntled sigh, and sent him what could only be described as the most unimpressed look to ever be delivered. If it wasn’t for the amused quirk of her left eyebrow her face would be entirely devoid of emotion.   
“Lance I’m a lesbian,” she deadpanned.   
“I thought you were American,” he quipped back as though it were second nature. 

 

What followed was pandemonium.   
Keith laughed so hard he was doubled over at the waist, his eyes watering as he wheezed. Hunk was shouting over Keith’s laughter, exclaiming the word “HOW?” on repeat like a broken record. Pidge, with eyes wide and interested yet again, was muttering a string of words impossible to discern over the loud noises of his other two friends.   
“What? What did I do?” He tried to ask, getting laughed at by Keith; who seemed to be having trouble breathing. 

 

“That’s so fascinating,” Pidge whispered, leaning forward eagerly, oversized glasses slipping down her nose. “Do you have no idea the reference you just made?”   
He shook his head, hoping that would result in a quick explanation and the subject dropped. If anything Pidge only looked more interested, her eyes as wide as saucers. Even Hunk and Keith had finally recovered and were leaning in to hear more.   
“Should I?” He asked.   
“Fascinating,” was all Pidge said in response. She flicked open a new document on her tablet and Lance sighed, leaning back ready for an interrogation. 

 

~-~-~

 

The air was tense and still, eyes locked. You could have heard a pin drop. 

The battle was about to commence. 

Lance let out a breath, shaky but determined. 

He would come out of this, alive, and victorious. 

The timer ticked, neither of them moved, waiting for the other to give in and strike. 

Lance prepared, rolling his shoulders. 

“It’s too dangerous,” Hunk whispered. 

“They’ll never make it!” Allura cried out. 

 

At that very second Coran fired an air horn, and they took off.    
Both Keith and Lance launched themselves forwards, the wheels of the storage trolleys creaking beneath them as they used paddles to propel themselves down the halls. The air was alive with electricity. Lance glanced over at Keith and grinned teasingly when he found himself ahead.   
“Eat dust mullet!” He whooped, pushing the paddle into Keith’s trolley and forcing the other boy back whilst bumping himself forwards. 

 

He didn’t dare look back as he heard Keith’s shout of protest, focused purely on pushing himself towards the lounge area, the midway point of their daring race. His honour was on the line.   
“Watch your back McClain,” came a taunt and Lance barely had a chance to whip his head around before a flurry of wind was zooming past him, leaving Lance in the dust.   
His mouth dropped open as he watched Keith speed away, dark mullet soaring behind him. Narrowing his eyes Lance picked up the pace. He ignored the strain in his arms and his failing stamina, all that mattered was defeating Keith. 

 

They soared through the kitchens, past the pools, through the training deck, and were finally reaching the finish line. Neck and neck, mouths quirked in smirks.   
Allura was shrieking with excitement, Hunk’s mouth was hanging open, Coran was ready with the microphone. Lance had one final plan.   
Digging his paddle into the floor he swept his trolley sideways, flinging himself in Keith’s path and effectively cutting him off. The plan was to cut Keith off and zoom through the finish line, a champion.   
The final product left a little to be desired. 

 

Lance’s trolley went soaring in front of Keith’s just as the other boy gave another push to speed himself up. Their carts crashed together and they were flung from the driver seat. Lance felt his body enter zero gravity for a split second before he was crashing down, on top of Keith, through the ribbon.   
“Does that mean I win?” He groaned, letting his head loll forward into whatever was beneath him. Which happened to be Keith’s crotch. As in the place where his sexy parts were located. Directly onto the dick. Keith’s dick. Lance flung himself backwards so quickly his entire body slammed into the floor leaving him groaning again. 

 

“I’m so sorry,” he managed to get out through hands covering his increasingly reddening cheeks. When he emerged Keith simply looked amused, as though he was sharing an inside joke with himself.   
“All good,” he responded, and dusting himself off in a manner far too nonchalant for someone who’s rival just touched his… special area; with his face no less.   
“I totally won,” Lance added, voice still high pitched from embarrassment. Letting his body collapse into the ground, limbs flailing in every direction. 

 

At that very moment Pidge burst into the room, her eyes alight with excitement.   
“LANCE!” she shrieked, before pausing to look at the scene before her, and what a confusing sight it was. Lance tried to imagine what it must look like from her point of view. Two upturned storage trolleys, stacked on top of each other, Lance collapsed red faced on the ground, Coran with a megaphone shouting “LANCE WINS,” like a broken - albeit very excited - record and Keith looking disgruntled at having lost.   
“I don’t even want to know,” she said, reaching out a hand to hoist Lance to his feet. 

“I worked it out,” she added, returning to her previous level of excitement, “I know how to get your memories back!” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! you may have realised that there is now 9 chapters and that is because i am in the process of writing what WAS chapter 8 and it was too plot heavy so VOILA   
> hope you enjoy!   
> (sorry this ones so short)

The words “I know how to get your memories back,” had barely left Pidge’s lips before the castles alarms were ringing in the teams’ ears. The invasive screeching drilled into Lance’s temples and rang in the shells of his ears. 

_ No god not now. _

Watching Allura shift from the fun, excitable girl she had been not even two minutes ago into the Princess was shocking. One second she was leaning in eagerly to hear about Lance’s memories; the next she was standing tall, ordering the paladins to their hangars. 

 

“But Allura-” Lance tried to protest. He had waited weeks for this moment, to remember himself. He couldn’t wait any longer.  
A flicker of sympathy danced across her face, there for hardly a second before she schooled it back into leadership, “I’m sorry Lance. The Galra will not wait for us.”   
With those words she and the other paladins took off down the halls. Keith and Lance the only ones who hesitated.   
Keith stepped forward and looked as though he was battling with himself over something. Eventually he seemed to settle on patting Lance’s shoulder once stiffly. 

 

“It won’t take too long,” he added, Lance nodded once, slightly distracted by the shifting of Keith’s expression. Was that a glimpse of sadness Lance spotted? What could that possibly mean? The thought was shoved out of his mind by Keith speaking again, his face carefully rearranged into a neutral expression, “But we need to go right now.”   
With those final words and determination glinting in his violet eyes he was running towards the Black lion’s hanger.   
Lance’s heart ached for an answer to his confusion, unsure whether he could fly his lion, whether he could even find the hangar, he took off. His feet seemed to take him there of their own will. 

 

He could feel the Red lion’s energy buzzing underneath his skin. Tugging. Pulling. A connection that seemed to run deeper than Lance’s forgotten memories. Certainly deeper than the bonds he felt for anyone on the team, save maybe his rivalry with Keith. This bond was different though, it wasn’t like he had forgotten anything, it felt as familiar as breathing.   
Suddenly he couldn’t remember why he had been avoiding meeting Red. The fear that he wouldn’t be able to even open the lion, that without his memories he wouldn’t be good enough, keeping him far away from the hangar, all slipped away. Now he couldn’t stop himself from running faster still, his lungs shuddering with every time his feet hit the ground. 

 

He slowed to a stop, blown away by the sheer magnitude of the lion in front of him. Red towered over him, gleaming in the artificial lighting of the castle.   
“Uh hi,” he mumbled suddenly shy and terrified again. His helmet crackled to life from where he had haphazardly thrown it onto his head along with the rest of his armour.   
“Lance! Where are you?” Allura’s voice demanded, the echoes of explosions were faint in the distance behind her question.   
He fumbled with the comm link, managing to connect it after a few seconds of messing around, “Sorry I’m on my way,” he replied. The link went silent.   
He stared up at the giant lion yet again, at the muzzle that was supposedly the entrance, at least twenty feet off the ground, “Open sesame?” He attempted with some jazz hands thrown in for good measure. 

 

A rumble sounded from deep in his chest, startling him into movement. A deep integral part of himself recognised the feeling as laughter; the rumble continued as the Red Lion’s eyes flashed yellow and he ducked his head for Lance to clamber up.   
“Uh thanks!” He said quickly before throwing himself into the pilot seat and settling his hands on the controls. Instinct took over from there. 

 

Nothing Lance could remember felt as incredible as flying did, it was like he was finally free. He didn’t remember learning anything about what his body was doing, but he knew that it felt like it was etched into his very being. Every movement of his hand was like a step he had walked a thousand times before but was only now experiencing for the very first time, it was exhilarating, and dizzying.   
“Lance!” Hunk cheered as the Red lion soared into the heat of the battle. The sound was deafening, despite Lance knowing that sound wasn’t meant to be possible in space. Although, he supposed, neither was purple aliens so who was he to judge. 

 

The battle roared, the lion’s darting here, there and everywhere in an attempt to evade the Galra’s attacks and hit some blows of their own. However a successful attack was few and far between.   
Lance wiped away the sweat beading on his forehead with the back of his hand, “This doesn’t seem to be working guys,” he grunted whilst blasting fire into the back of a Galra ship, narrowly dodging the responding blast sent his way.   
Noises of affirmation were offered and Keith made the leader’s call without hesitation, “Alright team, is forming Voltron a possibility?” He asked. 

 

Everyone was quick to agree except Pidge, who made a noise of hesitation causing them all to pause their assurances.   
“Pidge?” Keith prompted, pulling up the video comm so they could all see each other. That stupid bond wouldn’t relent, raging and roaring in Lance’s chest as he met Keith’s determined and adrenaline filled eyes, dark bangs sticking to his forehead with exertion.   
A beam aimed at the team drew them out of their discussion for a few minutes, the lions roaring and firing their responding attacks. Lance was lost in the moment. 

Fire. Sweat. Explosion. Turn. Dodge. Attack. Attack. Attack. Dodge. 

Everything else slipped away until it was only paladin and lion. 

 

When the heat died they were all left panting and hovering in the distance, at a stalemate with the Galra.    
“Why can’t we form Voltron again?” Hunk whined, doubled over against his console so that only the top of his orange headband was visible. Lance turned to watch Pidge who’s eyebrows were deeply furrowed, disappearing behind the frames of her glasses. She shuffled and finally shrugged, “I don’t know that we can’t,” she explained, “But from what I’ve discovered about Lance’s condition the effort of using those bonds, and then disconnecting them again, could be enough to kill him.” 

 

The team descended into silence, despite being engaged in the battle again, lions soaring backwards and forwards, it seemed utterly silent. The intensity of that silence so heavy it seemed to be perched on Lance’s shoulders like a gargoyle.   
Finally Lance broke the silence, staring at his lap, “It might be the only way to win the battle. This mission is bigger than me.”   
Keith snapped back without hesitation, “Obviously we aren’t risking that,” he huffed. Lance’s head snapped up to stare at him, he hadn’t expected Keith of all people to oppose. Looking straight into those strong eyes there was something Lance had never seen before, something dark and oozing with emotion. What emotion Lance couldn’t tell, but it was intense and scalding. 

 

He felt Red hum in agreement, straight to the core, it felt like she was saying “ _ You aren’t taking that risk… dumb dumb”.  _ How Lance knew that’s what that particular hum meant he couldn’t understand.   
“I have a plan,” Keith continued, eyes hardened with whatever that emotion was. He was still staring directly at Lance, burning Lance’s soul with those unreadable but expressive dark eyes. Allura made a noise to prompt Keith to continue. This seemed to be enough to snap the Keith out of the intense staring battle he had engaged with Lance.   
When he turned away Lance felt a strange sense of loneliness, like something was lacking now that he didn’t have Keith’s attention.   
“Stupid rivalry,” he muttered, rubbing at his chest as though that would rid his mind of the weird lurching. 

 

“We stand more chance in hand to hand combat without Voltron,” Keith explained, “Since we already took out their main ship if we land they’ll be forced to join us and try to take the lions by force.”   
The team was silent contemplating the plan, the attacks of the Galra were relentless and they all knew Keith was right. Lance didn’t remember having much luck on the ground, but he certainly couldn’t remember otherwise.   
“Let’s do it,” Pidge muttered, gearing the Green Lion to soar towards the nearest planet. The others nodded slowly, their hesitance making something twist in Lance’s stomach. 

“Shiro we’ll need you and Coran to cover any remaining ships that don’t land with the castle,” Keith instructed, firing up the blasters in his lion and following the other three’s lead. Lance hesitated for a split second- in the heat of battle it could have been twenty minutes - but he quickly followed after the Black Lion. 

 

They landed quickly and exited their lions, already met with Galra soldiers geared and ready to fight. Every move Lance made was driven by instinct.   
He went from holding a random piece of metal to a gun, with no knowledge of how he had caused it to transform. The gun was comfortable in his grip, it was like the second his eye was squinting through the viewfinder everything went into slow motion. He knew this dance by heart.   
Galra went down as he fired the trigger, every shot went perfectly through the head or chest. He didn’t miss a single shot. Just like flying he couldn’t help but wonder to himself why he hadn’t been doing this sooner. Just shooting targets in the training room, anything to feel this kind of familiarity. 

 

With the gun in his hand and the Galra being destroyed by every shot Lance felt like himself, like he finally knew what he was doing. Even the movements of his team were familiar. Despite only feeling like he truly knew them for two weeks at most, he could predict their fighting perfectly. He dodged them and never once came close to grazing them with a shot. Pidge was small and flighty, dodging stabs from the soldiers and slicing them with her weapon. She was the fastest and Lance found it easiest to shoot soldiers about to approach her rather than the ones she was already fighting.   
Hunk was the opposite of Lance, with a clunky machine gun that seemed to work better close range he fired sporadically and focused only on his own efforts.   
Allura was utilising a whip, her movements elegant and powerful even in the midst of the battle field, her expression regal and forceful. 

 

Then there was Keith. Every time Keith moved Lance knew about it. He didn’t understand why, or what his rivalry had to do with knowing Keith’s fighting like it was a mantra he had memorised long ago. All Lance knew was his bond with Keith was sitting in his skin, buzzing, like energy drawing all his hairs to sit on end. He knew that shooting down a Galra soldier inches from Keith’s head was easier than breathing, and he was never scared of hitting the other boy. It didn’t seem to just be Lance though, Keith seemed to know exactly when to duck so that Lance could shoot a soldier behind him. They worked together like clockwork. 

 

There was no explanation for it.   
The only thing Lance could think was whilst they were sparring and trying to one up each other they had learn to work together too. Memorised the other’s fighting style. Yeah that made sense.   
“Lance!” Pidge yelled and Lance ducked without even registering the sound, he was hitting the ground as machine fire was launched above his head, not a second too late.   
“Thanks Pigeon!” He hollered back, rolling behind boulders and abandoned storage containers to find a better vantage point. 

 

Team Voltron were quite clearly winning the fight, easing forward and driving the Galra back. At this point they were hundreds of metres away from their lions, working together as a team like it was built into their bones. Lance settled into the rhythm of the battle, the feeling of sweat trickling underneath his helmet, the pounding of feet on gravel and the dust that billowed around them. He even settled into the weight of his armour, the pounding of his heart, the click of the trigger. 

 

They were almost at the entrance to the Galra ship, forcing the soldiers and sentries back into the wide doors when it went wrong.   
They were winning but only just, and then suddenly they weren’t winning any longer. Pidge was surrounded by at least twenty soldiers, Hunk cornered against the ship, Allura was on the ground trying to fight to her feet for the upper hand and Keith stood in the centre of a crowd where even Lance couldn’t predict his next move. Lance himself? He couldn’t breathe from the closeness of the Galra, they were all around him and he wasn’t sure he could get himself out of this mess, let alone the others. 

 

He fired as quickly as possible, trying his best to work at short distance but the Galra were fast and his weapon wasn’t made for this. He was making progress despite the odds stacked against him, eventually he only had three soldiers opposing him. Legs flying out to keep the Galra at distance and his gun firing bullets as fast as he could achieve, the Galra were hardly kept at bay and he certainly didn’t have enough time to aim, only to shoot and pray it found its target.   
He surely would have been fine had he not been distracted, in fact it almost seemed as if he had been winning this fight. Needless to say that distraction came by the name of Keith. 

 

Lance heard the dark haired, mullet wearing, idiot trip and shout out in fear. Suddenly Lance didn’t care about the Galra surrounding him. He didn’t understand the motives behind his own instincts, but Lance was dropping to the ground and firing a single shot through the gap between the Galra’s legs, killing the soldier seconds away from stabbing Keith through the chest, without even realising he was moving.  

The pain didn’t hit him straight away, but the scream was ripped from his throat before he knew he was hurt. Everything went black for a second before he was on his feet again, ignoring the throbbing in his side, ignoring the stickiness in his armour. He registered Keith beside him, absently he realised the remaining two Galra surrounding him were already on the ground. 

 

“Lance!” Keith was screaming. Why was Keith screaming? They were… rivals? They were…? He knew they were something definitely.   
“I’m fine,” Lance muttered, swinging his gun into his hands and letting adrenaline push him forwards, “let’s finish this.”   
Without checking to see Keith’s reaction Lance ploughed ahead, aiming at the Galra who were closing further in on Allura and shooting them down one by one. Good to know his aim didn’t waver even with the blood seeping through the cracks of his armour. 

 

From there everything went by in flashes, Lance was surging forward once again, Keith leapt past him. They were synchronised and separate at the same time. Blasts and slices in perfect harmony - and if Keith was protecting Lance more than he had been earlier no one noticed, least of all Lance.   
“Pidge cover the flank,” Keith gritted out, drawing his sword from out of a soldier’s neck. That shouldn’t have made the rivalry bond spark, the last thing that mattered in this situation of life and death was a rivalry. 

 

Lance wasn’t really sure what turned the battle back around - perhaps Keith’s frantic fighting was improving their chances, or perhaps it was just simply a small slip up in their win and it was normal for them to do this. All Lance knew was everywhere he looked there was a flurry of activity, his friends were fighting with newfound ferocity.   
Lance shot down the last Galra remaining and the rest took to the skies, wormholing away. Pidge started cheering and a wide grin was found on everyone’s faces.   
“Good job team,” Allura was practically glowing, her hair messy and wild and her face burning red from the energy of the battle.  
Lance tried to force a smile, but the energy and the adrenaline that had been thumping through his veins was wearing off to a gentle hum, and suddenly he could feel everything. 

 

“Oh,” he whispered before his legs stopped being able to hold him up. The team was moving at once, hurrying over to him.   
“LANCE!” Someone screamed in shock, high pitched... Pidge?   
“Think m’bleeding” he slurred, someone was crouching down next to him, dark hair sticking to his forehead and eyes wild and terrified, Keith.   
“No shit idiot,” Keith hissed, leaning forward to snap Lance’s chestplate off. Blood was everywhere, he didn’t realise how badly he had been injured. It was like every nerve in his torso was on fire, pulsating and throbbing, bringing tears to his eyes. 

 

“Oh,” he said again. Wasn’t much else he could think to say.   
Allura was muttering to Shiro over the comms, her lips drawn tight and legs pacing.

Everything faded black again. 

“Hey! Lance! No way dude, you’re not sleeping,” Hunk was talking loudly now. Too loudly.   
“Jussa little nap,” Lance mumbled, turning his face and pressing it into… whatever he was lying on.   
Something was tapping his face. Eyes peeling open he glared at the intrusive finger, then realised the thing he was lying on was Keith’s lap. 

 

“You’re an actual dickhead if you think you’re dying now,” Keith informed him.   
Even in his lethargic pain filled state Lance knew a bait to fight when he saw one. Maybe he knew he could just leave it alone too, but he didn’t.   
“Says you… you dickhead,”  _ ha got him.   
_ Keith rolled his eyes, but Lance could see the crinkles of laughter even from upside down, “I’m not the one dying idiot.” 

“At least I don’t look like an idiot.” 

“Sounds like something an idiot would say.” 

“Well at least my hair isn’t a mullet!” Another point to Lance for sure, that was an ultimate burn. If anything, that made Keith smile wider. Maybe not the ultimate burn then. 

 

Keith poked Lance in the forehead again, the pad of his finger resting there for a second, like he longed for more contact before retreating, “I reckon you love my hair.”   
Lance shook his head, wincing in pain as he accidentally jostled his torso, “Nope! Definitely not!”   
He wanted Keith to keep being defensive but instead the other boy just smiled and shrugged like he knew something Lance didn’t. Dickhead. The raging bond in Lance’s chest, so encompassing that he struggled to swallow it, only seemed to grow as Keith looked at him. He had been so sure it was rivalry, but that didn’t really make sense right now. 

 

“We need to get him back to the castle,” Allura instructed and Lance shuddered at just the idea of being moved. Even the idea in itself sent horrible jolts of pain through his whole body.   
“Can’t move,” he whispered. Keith glanced at him, worry lines creasing his forehead, but started to shuffle his body anyway.   
Once Keith had an arm under Lance’s legs and arms, so he was positioned almost bridal style he took a deep breath, “I’m going to lift you now Lance.”   
Lance nodded, just once, he was ready. 

 

He wasn’t ready. 

 

The second Keith moved him even a little bit he was screaming in agony. It felt like his entire body was being ripped apart, every gasp of air was too much. 

Too much. 

Too much. 

Spots of black and white filled his vision as the pain tore him apart from the inside. 

“Lan-” 

“-ear me?” 

“LANCE-” 

“Don’t slee-” 

Everything went dark. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry this is late! i've been on holidays and time just got away from me  
> better late than never!

He woke up to white again, but this time he remembered why. His body slumped forward, in exactly the same way it had only a few weeks earlier, but this time warm, strong arms caught him.  
“You’re okay,” Keith whispered, his voice wet and choked, the words sticking in his throat as though just saying them was an overwhelming relief.   
Lance knew it was strange that Keith had been the one to catch him, deep down he knew that they were meant to be rivals. So why did it never feel that way? His muscles seemed to relax from just the split second of being held in Keith’s arms, before he was being passed into the next arms and the next and the next. The whole team was here to greet him. 

 

“Do you remember us?” Pidge whispered nervously. He could see the beginnings of tears in the corners of her round owl-like eyes, though Lance knew she would deny it vehentemently if he mentioned it later. He nodded, trying to blink away the tears beginning to prick his eyes at just how terrified his friends looked, “Yeah I do.”   
A silence descended, as though everyone had something sitting on their tongues, too heavy to say but too important to leave unanswered. Lance glanced around the group, waiting for the inevitable, too nervous to be the one to dash their hopes. 

 

Eventually Shiro was the one to acknowledge the elephant in the room, “How much do you remember?” It was a blunt question, but also one that tip-toed on the edge of the topic. Too scared to simply ask Lance  _ Do you remember everything  _ but also too much of a leader to beat around in the bush.   
If the air had been stiff before Shiro had asked the question, then Lance didn’t want to know how someone would describe the room as they waited for his answer. A charged kindling of hope, fear, and readied disappointment dancing in all of the paladins’ eyes. He didn’t want to be the one to squash that hope, but he was left with no choice.   
Surprisingly, he found staring at Keith to be the most calming. The boy’s dark eyes were overflowing with emotion as much as ever, and Lance was once again left wondering if with his memories he knew how to dissect those emotions. He probably wouldn’t considering he hated the guy, allegedly. 

 

Eyes never straying from Keith’s he replied, “Only the last three weeks,” allowing the sadness he was feeling to drip into his words. The room deflated, he could tell they had all been praying that the injury would have forced the memories back into his mind. In particular Lance watched resignation wash across Keith’s face, there for only a moment before the other boy was spinning on his heel and marching out of the room. So much for not being rivals, he couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as memory-less Lance. Although despite Keith’s apparent disgust with Lance, he couldn’t help but feel that the term ‘rivals’ didn’t really suit the pair. Even the concept of ‘bickering acquaintances’ or ‘begrudging friends’ felt ever so slightly off, but Lance couldn’t tell why. 

 

He huffed in frustration, before returning his attention to the rest of his friends, who appeared to be chattering amongst themselves about the main issue at hand - Lance’s memories.   
Fuck Keith and his mullet and strong shoulders and dark violet eyes that seem to contain galaxies! Lance had everyone he needed right here, people who still cared deeply about him no matter how much he could remember. He forcefully pulled his brain back into the present, focusing in on the debate Pidge and Hunk were having.   
“We can’t just try everything till something clicks!” Hunk insisted, crossing his arms in what Lance observed was a very Keith-esque pose.  _ Stop thinking about Keith!   
_ Pidge glared back at him, shoving her glasses up onto her nose, “Well why not?”   
“That’s not how you solve anything!”   
“Science is made up of trial and error!”   
“There’s a whole  __ life  to dissect!”   
“So we should get started!” Pidge was positively fuming at this point, her cheeks turning red as she stood on her tiptoes in an attempt to appear more dominant. Hunk looked no less overpowering, his thick eyebrows furrowed so heavily they were leaving crease lines all over his face. Lance wasn’t even aware the big guy could look so formidable. 

 

He waved his hands in front of their faces, interjecting where Allura, Shiro and Coran seemed to be letting them run their course.   
“What on Earth - or space I suppose - are you talking about?” Lance asked, standing between them so both his friends were forced to look at him.   
Just like that they were snapped out of their daze, fidgeting awkwardly as they avoided his eyes. Lance waited, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently, “Well?”   
Hunk scratched at his chin, his eyes trained just above Lance’s head, “Well buddy… we’re talking about getting your memories back.” 

 

Lance raised an eyebrow at his best friend, “You sure about that? I heard no mention of this fabulous guy-“ he cocked his hip to the side “-whatsoever. Let alone his missing memories.”   
This time Pidge was the one to step up, her typical talkative nature returning at full force, “Well we were talking about what I discovered, since you so rudely got hurt before I got to tell you.” She paused to allow Lance some time to splutter defensively before plowing onwards with a fond smile, “Hunk thinks my plan won’t work-“   
“- Because it’s ludicrous!“   
“-but doesn’t have a better one.” She finished with a cheesy grin. 

 

Lance nodded slowly, taking this in before pointing out the obvious question she seemed to have glossed over, “How  _ do _ we get my memories back?”   
Before Pidge could speak Allura was stepping forward and placing a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder.   
“We’re not completely sure,” she admitted, raising a hand to cut Lance off before he begun demanding that  _ Pidge said they were sure thank you very much!  _ “We only know the method we need.” 

 

“What?” He very eloquently replied, “That literally contradicts itself!”   
Pidge shook her head, “What Allura means is, I discovered that your memories are still there, you just can’t access them. What we need to do is trigger them with something that connects directly to the core of them, which should cause them to all come rushing back… hypothetically.”   
The whole group stared at him whilst this information settled into his skin. His memories needed to be triggered with something that was so integral to his life, it would all come rushing back. Easy peasy. 

 

“So, we know the method… but not the actual trigger itself,” he whispered as what they meant dawned on him. The whole group nodded, allowing silence to settle upon them once again, waiting for Lance to speak up.   
He felt heavy all of a sudden, as though the hope he’d had for finding his memory had been crushed, turned to intense weight. He’d been so ready to find himself again, to truly understand what was happening, to remember not only the family here with him, but his family on Earth. Now it felt like his hopes were being laughed at by fate. 

 

On a note that he would never admit out loud, he wanted to understand why the bond he felt with hate, that was supposedly hatred, was so strong, when he had never truly felt hatred towards the other boy. 

 

Taking a deep breath through the fog that was now condensing in his lungs he forced a smile, “So Pidgey! What’s your mindblowing plan then?”   
Pidge shrugged, staring at him worriedly, “Basically try out anything we remember you doing a lot, or being important to you, and hope your memories crash into you like a tsunami.”    
Another heavy silence; damn was Lance getting sick of those.   
Pointedly ignoring Hunk’s disapproving look, Lance clapped his hands together, “Well what’re we waiting for!”   
He watched as the group - save Hunk and  _ Keith _ \- brightened at his enthusiasm and bustled out of the room towards the commons. Lance took another deep breath and was hyping himself up to follow them when a heavy hand settled on his shoulder. 

 

Hunk stared at him, dark brown eyes brimming with concern, “I just don’t want you to get hurt if this doesn’t work buddy,” he hesitated before adding “and Keith agrees with me.”   
Lance huffed, patting Hunk’s hand once before shrugging it off his shoulder, “I know man, but it’s the only plan we’ve got.” He nodded his head for Hunk to follow him, “and why should I care what Keith thinks is best for me. He hates me remember?” Lance tried to cover the weird pain he felt at the idea of Keith hating him, but must have failed in some way because Hunk frowned at him.   
“Keith doesn’t hate you, you two just don’t get along as well as the rest of us.”   
“Hmph, tell that to him.” 

 

~-~-~

 

Allura, Coran and Shiro had left long ago, there was only so many failures one could watch Lance supposed. For some god forsaken reason  _ Keith _ had shown up, and all Lance wanted was for him to go away, when he was in the room Lance’s eyes would wander to look at him and the very sight of Keith made hatred burn in his throat, which was highly distracting.  
“Maybe speaking Spanish!” Hunk suggested, having gotten far more interested in the attempts as time wore on. Lance shook his head.   
“We already tried that one,” he pointed out. That had actually been one of the first suggestions, all those hours ago when they had only just begun this tedious process. 

 

It was becoming exhausting, and Lance had tried an endless list of deep, stupid and outright ridiculous ideas. Ranging from “Maybe you need to talk about homesickness” to “Try winking with finger guns!”   
Honestly he’d had enough.   
He glared at Keith who was sitting on the couch, head buried in a tablet as he read a book. It shouldn’t be bothering Lance that Keith didn’t want to participate in the conversation, they didn’t like each other after all, but oh did it bother him to no end.   
“What about you Mullet?” He taunted as Keith’s head snapped up at the familiar nickname, a scowl already present on his far-too-attractive face, “Too cool to suggest something to get my memories back?” 

 

Keith’s scowl only grew deeper at Lance’s words, “Nothing you’d be happy to try,” he retorted, with what seemed like a hint of sadness coated in frustration - could Lance be imagining that? He would have thought he was, if not for the concerned look Pidge and Hunk shared.   
“Why am I not surprised?” Lance rolled his eyes, already returning his gaze to Pidge and Hunk when Keith spat back a retort.    
“What’s that supposed to mean McClain?”   
Lance ignored the way his body hummed at the use of his surname.   
“I’m not surprised you don’t want to help! Why should you care if I can remember you, it’s not like we even  _ like  _ each other!”   
Keith flinched, and instantly Lance was swamped with icy cold guilt. He knew that he and Keith had a complicated relationship, to say the least, but from what Hunk had told him they were still ‘friends’ to a certain extent. Clearly his words had hit a little harder than he had intended.   
Before he could say anything Keith was huffing angrily and returning his gaze to his book with a sharp “whatever.” 

 

Instantly that guilt was swamped with anger yet again, but Lance swallowed it down, ignored the other boy, and repeated his sentiment with his own, “whatever.”   
Pidge raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t say anything, choosing instead to shuffle along the couch until she was sitting with her legs in the air and her head hanging off the edge, like the gremlin she was.   
The trio sat in silence for a while, Hunk and Pidge thinking deeply, Lance could practically see the clockwork in their brains ticking along. Pidge’s eyes darted around the room when she was thinking, as though the idea was hiding somewhere and she just needed to spot it. Hunk was different, he squeezed his eyes shut, as though everything around him was a distraction and he needed to see nothing to be able to think clearly. 

 

Lance drummed his fingers idly against his leg, patiently waiting for one of them to think of something. It felt stupid really - though he kept this particular thought to himself - that they were sat here, trying to work out what was integral enough to Lance that he’d unlock his memories. Yet Lance couldn’t even help.   
Finally Pidge broke the silence with an excited yelp, falling off the couch in her eagerness to sit up. 

 

“Girls!” She exclaimed, eyes bright with her glee. Hunk smirked at her.   
“Pidge we get it, you like girls,” he snickered, and even Keith giggled, which was gross, Lance’s rival wasn’t allowed to do cute things like  _ giggle _ . Pidge rolled her eyes on instinct, but never broke the massive grin on her face; like she had finally cracked a hidden code. “Not me,” she insisted, pointing to Lance, “Girls. He should flirt with Allura.”   
“Wait what?” Lance gaped, it felt as though something was missing here. Like he was trying to force a puzzle piece into the wrong position. “Flirt with  _ Allura _ ?” He practically begged for clarification, the idea of flirting with Allura felt so wrong. Her bond had always been so sisterly, it would be like trying to date a family member.   
Pidge was nodding, “You flirt with Allura all the time!” She responded eagerly, “You’re practically all over every girl you see!” 

 

In the excitement of the moment, Pidge and Hunk’s excited chattering in Lance’s ear and the seemingly Eureka moment that was occurring Lance didn’t notice Keith tensing. Nor did he notice the other boy sit up as fast as a bolt, as though someone had slapped him across the face.  
But it was impossible not to notice when he hissed, “You’re wrong.” 

 

You could have heard a pin drop.   
All three of them turned to look at Keith, he was sitting rigidly still, eyes scorchingly hot as they burned into the three of them. It looked like he was holding his breath, or finally exhaling, Lance couldn’t tell.   
“What do you mean?” Hunk finally asked, asking the question they were all wondering. Lance nodded slowly, trying desperately to grasp onto whatever the hell was happening.   
Keith gritted his teeth and spat out, “I mean. You’re wrong, flirting with girls won’t get his memories back.” 

 

“What the hell man?” Lance demanded at the same time Pidge exclaimed, “But he flirts with girls all the time!”   
It was like someone had flicked a switch, Keith went from sitting in barely contained anger to roaring. He was on his feet, red faced, tablet flying onto the floor. His hands clenched in trembling fists and slammed into his legs, eyes sparking wildly. For a moment he seemed choked with anger, words half formed spitting out through gritted teeth. Lance couldn’t even move, he just watched as Keith grabbed at his hair and tugged once, hard, before finally finding the words and  _ screaming _ them.  

“I’m so sick of this! How are you all so blind? He hasn’t flirted with a girl in over a year, closer to a year and a half actually-” Lance could do nothing but stare as Keith fumed, “-But no one noticed a thing and now  _ you _ .” He whirled to glare at Lance and suddenly Lance found himself moving closer, out of pure instinct.   
“You! You believe everything they tell you about us don’t you! Never thought to come to me about our- about our… about  _ us _ ?” 

 

“Keith…” Lance whispered and that one soft noise seemed to be enough to snap Keith out of his rage. He froze like a deer in headlights, stepping back from Lance. It was only at that moment when Lance realised they had been nearly chest to chest. He shoved down the weird desire to be that close again, focusing in this moment on the stunned boy in front of him.   
“Keith talk to me,” Lance was still whispering, he wasn’t sure why. It felt like if he spoke any louder the other boy would bolt. He wanted to reach out his arms and hold him close, which was obscure and confusing in itself, but as he almost allowed himself to follow through on that instinct Keith was moving.  

 

He seemed to suddenly remember where he was, turning to stare at Hunk and Pidge before squeaking out an “I’m so sorry,” and bolting out the door.   
Lance didn’t even hesitate he followed Keith out of the room, running after the other boy as though his life depended on it.   
“Keith wait!” He called out as the door to Keith’s bedroom was slammed in his face.   
A single guttural sob erupted from behind the door and something in Lance was shattering, and he didn’t even understand why he felt this way. 

 

“Keith talk to me.” He knocked on the door sharply, ignoring the way his heart was racing just as fast as when they had been fighting for their lives, when the Galra had been behind the trigger of his gun, his death within a bullet’s reach, the feeling was the same. His hand suddenly met air and he was face to face with the red-turned-black paladin.   
The only word to describe Keith in this moment was broken. He looked like a combination of furious, exhausted and heartbroken. His eyes were trained on that ground, tears dripping down his chin and cheeks red as his bottom lip wobbled. Despite the clear sadness and devastation etched into Keith’s very posture the furrowed eyebrows and clenched hands hinted at the irritation lying on the edge, the frustration still pulsing in his veins.    
“What do you want Lance?” Keith asked, his voice contrasted so starkly with his outer appearance it almost bowled Lance over. He was for all wants and purposes monotone, as though Lance was inconveniencing him by popping by; as though the fat tears rolling down his face were just a figment of Lance’s imagination. 

 

Lance stepped forward, acutely aware that Keith didn’t step back, allowing Lance to step into his personal space. The door slid shut behind them with a click. The question Lance wanted to ask was  _ What don’t I understand about us?  _ but instead the question that left his mouth was, “Why did you react like that to the idea of me flirting with girls?”   
He watched in horror as Keith seemed to switch off, despite the tears still dripping down his cheeks. His whole face went blank, eyes shuttering closed, shoulders tensing, and a single deep breath. 

 

“It doesn’t matter Lance,” Keith gritted out, stepping back out of Lance’s space. Lance was shocked with himself to discover he wanted to reach out and keep him there, like there was a magnetic connection between them. A drawing sensation from the tips of Lance’s toes to the suction in his throat that he didn’t know what to do with.   
“It does matter,” he insisted, his feet stepping forward before his brain caught onto the fact that he was moving.   
Keith shuddered violently, turning away, his shoulders heaving, Lance wanted to hold him -  _ wait what?  _

 

“Leave me alone,” Keith hissed, his muscles growing more and more tense by the second. In his brain, Lance knew he should leave, he knew he should turn around and let Keith be alone in peace, but he didn’t. A part of him couldn’t make himself leave, and that part was so much stronger than anything Lance could control.   
“No Keith. Tell me what I can do to help.” He stepped forward yet again and suddenly Keith was whirling around, his face pouring with emotion and tears flying. 

 

“9823!" He sobbed, his eyes filled with that unreadable emotion, that maybe shouldn’t have been so unreadable. It was so clearly misery. Having Keith finally look him in the eyes was so much worse than the broken way he had stared at the ground, they were pouring with pain. Lance felt like if he blinked Keith would shatter before him. The tears made his eyes seem to glow with cracked exhaustion, the pain Lance had cause; although he didn’t know how he had done so.    
“What?” Lance said, scared to startle the sobbing boy before him but desperate to understand. Two sides of himself battling for control, one side curious and so determined to know, the other felt compelled to care for Keith and protect him. 

 

Keith stepped forward until Lance was stumbling back despite himself, legs moving before his brain was catching up to what he was doing.   
“9.” He marched Lance backward until he was stepping out of Keith’s door and into the hallway, “8. 2. 3.” Lance felt his own door slide open and only vaguely processed Keith’s hand on the scanner. “That’s your fucking passcode, that you’ve been so desperate to know.” Keith choked on a sob, before continuing, “Just don’t unlock the damn thing in front of our friends.” 

 

No sooner had Keith finished that sentence Lance’s door slid closed and he was left alone with  _ whatever _ the hell that was.   
He wasn’t sure whether to believe Keith, or to get his hopes up that those numbers were really the passcode he had been desperately trying to recover for all of these weeks. Could he really trust that Keith of all people would tell him the truth? If he could, why hadn’t Keith told him before now?  
Lance’s mind was going a mile a minute, thoughts racing and questions barely dancing across his mind before being replaced by more.   
There was only one thing to do really. 

 

He made his way over to the orange tablet, sitting on the desk beside the dying plants and the cool space rocks. Such a simple object held so much to him, it was the struggle to uncover something that had clearly mattered to Memory-Lance but that he himself had no access to, it was connection to himself, to the person he wanted to find.   
A question he had been dying to have answered. 

The familiar keypad flickered to life as he clicked on the locked folder. 

_ If you don’t know don’t bother.  _

Those six words had taunted him for weeks now. The knowledge that he should know but didn’t, that something important to him was so close yet out of reach, and maybe Keith out of everyone had known all along. 

 

9 - He took a deep breath. 

8 - His finger was shaking as he pressed the buttons, why did he feel like he should go back to Keith?

2 - Lance swallowed heavily, his mouth parched. 

3 - Could this really be it? 

 

Something in him already knew it would work. So with one final shaky breath, he clicked “enter”. 

The lock icon slid open, he was finally in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's happeningggggg
> 
> as always come scream to me on either twitter ([frecklylance](https://twitter.com/frecklyIance)) and/or tumblr ([nerdydisneychild](https://nerdydisneychild.tumblr.com/))   
> im always happy to hear from you!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a feeling you guys might like this one ;) ...  
> (it's my favourite chapter after all)  
> thanks to my wonderful beta rachel who said and I quote "GIVE THE IDIOT AN APPLAUSE" when she read this chapter so.....   
> enjoy!!!

Photos.  
Hundreds of them. 

 

Keith captured mid laugh, his eyes crinkled and his head thrown back.

Keith sticking his tongue out at the camera, laughter lines creasing the corners of his eyes. 

Keith standing in Lance’s jacket, the fabric swamping him, arms thrown in a dramatic finger guns; clearly imitating Lance himself. 

Keith curled up in Lance’s bed, the pillow tucked in his arms as though it were another person. 

 

Then as though those weren’t shocking enough to behold, there were more. 

Lance and Keith pressed cheek to cheek, grinning into the camera. 

Lance making a silly moustache with the end of Keith’s mullet, eyes crossed and lips pursed. Keith with his eyes rolled upwards but a fond smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

The two of them staring at each other pulling dumb faces, clearly trying desperately not to laugh. 

Keith sitting on Lance’s lap squishing his cheeks into a fish face, Keith smiling at him rather than the camera, laughing at his handiwork.  

 

It was like Lance could scroll for days and there would still be more. His breath was caught in his throat. Had he ever smiled like that? In all the time he could remember? 

He paused on a photo of the two of them.   
Him smiling into the camera with eyes practically glittering, a blush dancing across the freckles on his face, and Keith.   
Keith with his lips pressed to Lance’s cheek, his soft dark hair tickling Lance’s forehead.   
As Lance stared at the photo he could almost feel the phantom kiss, the love in their eyes. 

 

It was so obvious.   
How had he been so blind? 

 

When he finally convinced himself to continue scrolling there was so much more. 

The two of them, with their lips slotted together and eyes fluttered closed. 

Lance taking a selfie with a kiss pressed to Keith’s temple. 

Him laughing as Keith pressed kisses to his neck. 

Keith laughing as Lance kisses his ear. 

 

He paused yet again, unable to make himself scroll past one photo. 

They were kissing, in a way. It actually looked like they were smiling too much to actually kiss. This time Keith’s arm was the one outstretched to take the photo of them.   
It was like a captured moment of pure love; both of their eyes half lidded, their lips brushing together but too stretched into wide fond smiles to truly connect. 

Lance just stared.   
How could he have ever believed they were rivals? When they looked at each other like  _ that _ .   
Even further, how could no one on the castle have noticed?   
The way Photo-Lance’s eyes were sparkling, it was like he existed for Keith and Keith only, as though in that moment, in every moment, nothing else mattered but the two of them. 

How could no one have noticed that? 

 

Then the videos.   
They were so much  _ more _ . 

 

“What’re you doing you doofus?” Video Lance’s voice echoed from behind the camera, tinny from the quality but fond all the same. Keith was grinning warmly at him, jumping on the bed with Lance’s jacket flouncing around him.   
“Jumping duh!” Was the laughing response, he beckoned for Lance to join him with one finger, eyebrow raised in a challenging way that Lance watching recognised.   
From behind the camera video-Lance laughed too, it was laced with affection, in fact affection seemed to be too simple a word for it. Love.   
“Okay you weirdo,” he replied and then the video cut off, presumably so Lance could join Keith in his jumping. 

 

Lance clicked on the next video.   
It opened to Keith standing holding the camera towards himself, his mouth covered as he tried to hide his laughter. Lance in the video was positioned in the background, seen only in his ash stricken face, as he stared at smouldering cookies.   
“How?” video-Lance gasped, beginning to pout as he poked one of the cookies, causing it to explode. A mess of what was potentially cookie dough and ash flew in every direction leaving video-Lance spluttering and pulling faces as some flew into his mouth.    
Keith started to laugh outright, not even bothering to hide it anymore, “How did you fuck up so bad-” he cut off in a bark of laughter “-so b-badly?”   
Lance stuck his tongue out at him, crossing his arms across his chest and burrowing down with a huff. Keith made his way over and pressed a kiss to Lance’s cheek, “It’s okay love.”   
With that sentiment the video ended. 

 

He couldn’t stop clicking and swiping. 

Photos of them kissing in front of a sunset. 

Lance in the red jacket - which must be Keith’s. 

Keith with a face mask on. 

Both wearing face masks. 

Kissing. 

Smiling. 

Laughing. 

Pulling faces. 

Videos of them dancing like idiots. 

Splashing in bright pink water.

Building sandcastles out of blue sand. 

Tickling each other. 

Kissing. 

Giggling. 

Cuddling. 

Lance wasn’t sure how many hours he had been staring at photos and videos when he pressed play on the final file in the folder. 

 

Keith was sitting on Lance’s bed, wearing one of Lance’s long sleeved shirts draping over his hands in sweater paws, and boxers. His body curled up as he read from his tablet, hair messy from lounging around, and cheeks ever so slightly rosy.   
“Hey,” Lance behind the camera whispered.   
Current Lance watched as Keith looked up and smiled, not at the camera, but at the Lance behind the camera. His eyes crinkled and warm as he stared at  _ Lance _ , of all the people in the world, it was as though he had eyes for only Lance.   
“What’re you reading,” Lance crooned softly, despite clearly being for the video it felt like Current Lance was intruding on a private moment somehow. Like he was watching something not intended for him but for these two paladins in love.   
Keith rolled his eyes, his expression only growing fonder by the second as he covered his mouth with one sweater paw, “Some Altean romance novel,” he replied.   
Lance gasped over-dramatically, hamming it up clearly in an attempt to make Keith laugh (it worked), “Am I not enough for you?”   
Keith rolled his eyes again, looking over the camera at where Lance must have been and said warmly, “You’re more than enough, you’re everything.”   
With a loud squeak on Lance’s part the video ended. 

 

Lance was left on his own in a dark bedroom, with the clock proudly telling him that it was almost 5 in the morning. Tears were running down his face, because it was so plain. It was as simple as that really. He had been utterly blind.   
He loved Keith, and Keith loved him.   
They were everything to each other and Lance had assumed they were rivals.   
Boyfriends (for who even knew how long) in secret.   
Lance needed to see him.   
He needed to see Keith more than he had ever needed anything before.   
Without a second thought he shrugged on a shirt, and began to head off the the training room, certain Keith would be there the second he woke up. 

 

~-~-~

 

Lance was woken up to a cold heavy hand on his shoulder and a deep voice gently asking, “Lance? Are you okay?”   
He sat up so fast he barely managed to dodge Shiro’s chin, which was significantly closer than anticipated. The man was staring at him with kind but worried eyes, bent down in a squat to better reach Lance on the training room floor.   
However, instead of answering the question like a functioning member of society, Lance blurted out, “Have you seen Keith?” 

  
Shiro’s eyes widened ever so slightly but he nodded without questioning the severely sleep deprived boy before him.   
“I think he’s in the commons with Allura,” Shiro answered, pointing Lance in the right direction as he leapt to his feet; his body buzzing with energy and desperation to find Keith, instantly. He took off in the direction of the commons without a second thought, running through the halls of the castle. The closer he got to Keith the more his heart seemed to crash against his ribcage, feet thundering on the castle floor and sending shocks of nerves into his bloodstream.   
In hindsight had he possessed even an inkling of rationality Lance may have changed his entrance. Perhaps he wouldn’t have slammed the door to commons open, with a manic vigour, significantly startling both Keith and Allura. Maybe he would have stopped outside the door and let himself have a breather, therefore preventing panting which he was currently displaying, red face and all.   
Most importantly, perhaps with some foresight, he would have stopped himself from pointing at Keith menacingly and saying, “Can I speak to Keith alone?” 

 

Allura looked understandably concerned by this turn of events, and Keith, well he looked a combination of ready to cry and heartily amused - an interesting combination to say the least.   
“It’s been a rough night Lance, perhaps bickering could wait,” Allura suggested gently. She smiled up at him warmly from where she was seated on the couch. Lance spluttered at the accusation before he realised how the situation could be perceived and stopped instantly. 

 

He waved his hands around, his limbs flying more vigorously than usual due to the manic nerves that had found their way into his movements.  
“No no no, I just need to talk to Keith about…” he trailed off finally connecting eyes with the other boy. To say Keith looked terrified would be akin to calling Voltron a toy robot, his eyes were blown wide, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, as though he was trying to get words out but couldn’t.   
“About… stuff,” Lance finished lamely. 

 

Allura didn’t look convinced, her eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth to speak when Keith finally regained his voice, “It’s okay Allura.”   
He stood up and Lance watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed heavily, “Your room?” Keith confirmed and Lance nodded sharply. He attempted to wave goodbye to Allura in a composed way, but instead narrowly missed hitting himself in the face with his own hand. 

 

The walk to Lance’s room was tense and silent, the unspoken words hanging in the air between them, impossible to ignore. The photos Lance had poured over all night were beginning to sink in as very  _ very _ real, and the boy beside him had lived them out with Lance. This was their reality. Everything he wanted to say Lance saw mapped out for him but the impending doom of all that needed to be said left him unlocking the door in silence. They entered without so much as opening their mouths. Lance found himself noticing so much more, it was so blatantly obvious.   
Little details like the way Keith sat down on Lance’s bed and seemed to settle in as though it were his own, the way his eyes seemed to be constantly drawn to Lance, before he flicked them away when he remembered the situation.   
It was evident that if nothing else, Lance had been completely blind. 

 

They both broke the silence at the same time.   
“Lance I-”   
“So-” 

With awkward laughs and flailing hands they fumbled, assuring each other that the other could go first. Lance was hyperaware of every sound in the room, the tick of the clock, the thump of his heart, the puffs of air going in and out of his nose. He gestured wildly for Keith to go first, “You go,” he said ever so slightly too loud for the quiet room.   
Keith nodded towards the carpet, tucking his hands beneath his legs, then folding them on his lap, before settling on scrunching them into the fabric of Lance’s duvet.   
“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry,” he mumbled, looking up at Lance from beneath long eyelashes and through dark bangs - which side note: wow - his words stuttering to a halt as Lance waved his hands wildly.   
“Woah woah woah!” He exclaimed, cutting into whatever Keith had been saying, “why are you apologising to me?” 

 

Keith blinked up at him, wide owlish eyes concealed mostly by the hair falling in front of his face, “Because I yelled at you?” He answered as though it was obvious.   
“I deserved it,” Lance rebutted, crossing his arms across his chest.   
“You didn’t understand!”   
“I should have been more observant!”   
“Just let me apologise damn it!” Keith huffed angrily, finally looking at Lance head on. His eyes were almost bright purple in this lighting, flashing with frustration. The irritation and exhaustion Lance had seen the night before were evident for those few seconds before he faltered, the frustration ebbing to give way to a more sincere rawness; a fear Lance could only imagine. No sooner had that fear appeared Keith was ducking his head again to stare at the carpet. 

 

Lance sighed softly, shuffling his feet as he moved from side to side with nervous energy, “Okay fine. It’s okay,” he conceded. Keith nodded sharply, still aimed at the carpet and not at Lance himself.   
“What - what were you going to say earlier?” Keith asked, voice almost as soft as a whisper, but in the stillness of Lance’s room it practically echoed against the walls.   
Lance took a deep gulp of air, his heart threatened to burst through his chest, “So…” he began. He faltered momentarily as Keith met his eyes, the boy was soft and vulnerable, gentle around the edges and fragile in Lance’s hands. “Boyfriends huh?”   
He was rewarded with a smile from Keith, small and barely even enough to pass as a quirk of his lips, but there all the same, “Yeah, boyfriends,” he replied. Lance was almost knocked to the ground by the sheer softness of Keith’s voice. He hadn’t ever imagined to hear the other boy speak in such a genuine sincerity, until last night that was. 

“How lo- how long?” Lance stammered, his legs were quickly turning to jelly and he fumbled on the spot, fiddling at the hem of his t-shirt in an attempt to keep himself grounded. Keith wouldn’t stop looking at him like  _ that _ , with eyes melting and vulnerable. His heart opened and pouring through those dark eyes, for Lance to see and Lance only. 

 

There was another silence before Keith averted his eyes to over Lance’s shoulder and breathed, “Just over a year.”   
Lance blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. “That long?” He gasped, pacing back and forth in front of the bed, jaw practically hanging off his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He demanded whirling on Keith and stopping when he saw the other boy. He had shrunken in on himself, shoulders hunching as though he was trying to disappear. It was as though the burst of irritation that had filled Lance had been sucked out of him as quickly as it came, replaced with raw concern. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked again, voice tender this time as he came to sit beside Keith on the bed. 

 

Keith didn’t look up, eyes determinately fixed on his lap. His reply was cracked and quiet but still there, “Would you risk it?” He asked.   
Lance felt that familiar suction in his throat, the strange pulling sensation that he didn’t know what to do with, only this time his hand twitched. He didn’t know what to do with it, or what to make of it, although seemingly Keith did. With a shaky smile and a shaking hand Keith tentatively laced their fingers together, and Lance for the first time felt that feeling subside. It was like his chest opened up, it felt so  _ right _ . Tears pricked the back of his eyes but he blinked them away, “What do you mean risk it?” He asked gently, squeezing Keith’s hand in his own to reassure Keith that it was okay. 

 

The tension in Keith’s shoulders seemed to ease slowly, “I was so scared that if I told you, you would be disgusted, or horrified. I wasn’t sure what feelings you could remember, or how you would react and-” he took a deep shuddering breath and Lance squeezed his hand again “- I was terrified that you wouldn’t believe me.”   
Lance tested the waters gently, running his thumb along the bumps and grooves of Keith’s knuckles and smiling to himself as the boy’s breath hitched, “I get it,” he said, looking up and into those mesmerizing eyes, “but I could never be horrified to be with you, I can’t believe you’re actually with me.” 

 

Keith smiled, genuinely and widely, and it was the most beautiful thing Lance had ever seen. The photos and videos didn’t do this marvel justice he decided. Nothing could capture the pure euphoria of being on the receiving end of a one of Keith’s smiles.   
“Honestly you’re an absolute sap,” Keith snickered, moving closer so he could bump his shoulder against Lance, “but yeah I’m not going anywhere.”   
Lance wanted to stay in this moment forever, with Keith slowly opening up to him and their hands intertwined, but he had another question on the tip of his tongue.   
“What about the passcode?” He asked, the pad of his thumb absentmindedly stroking along the side of Keith’s palm.   
“The date we got together,” Keith answered with a fond smile, “In the Altean calendar obviously. The 9th generation, of the 8th moon on the 23rd eclipse,” he added as though Lance understood what any of those words meant.   
“The date we got together,” Lance repeated softly into the air, smiling wistfully at the idea of being able to remember that day. To have all the memories he had made with Keith and more, not only to remember their history, but the history of everyone Lance knew. “I want to be able to remember that so badly,” he admitted, his voice cracked and choked with desperation.   
Keith moved even closer, letting go of Lance’s hand to pull him into a tight hug. His arms were warm and solid around Lance, and he smelled of -  _ oh _ \- he smelled of a good night’s sleep, and all at once Lance understood why that t-shirt was so perfectly familiar. Why it smelled of home. He leaned into the hug, snuggling his head into the crook of Keith’s neck and just breathed. He breathed in the warm musky scent which he couldn’t quite place but smelled so right, and let everything unwind as he sunk into the embrace. 

 

As they leaned apart both boys froze, noses a mere inch from each other and eyes unwavering. Lance could feel his breath mingling with Keith’s, though it was coming out sharper than he had been expecting. His heart thumped against his rib cage, into his throat, beating throughout his entire body. Every fibre of his being wanted to lean closer, to close the distance between them. The proximity leaving his hands shaking, fluttering against the soft skin of Keith’s arm.   
He wanted to move so badly, to be closer, even such a small distance was leaving him breathless with the need for more. Over a year’s worth of memories with this gorgeous boy before him. 

 

How had Keith been able to survive this? 

The clock ticked. His heart thumped. Somewhere in the castle the other paladins were moving along with their morning. Allura still in the lounge. Shiro in the training room. 

All that mattered was Keith. 

The way everything in Lance seemed to gravitate towards Keith. 

His eyes. 

His hair.

His lips. 

“Can I kiss you?” He asked, as Keith’s nose moved forward to brush against his, as light as a feather. Every breath was caught in his throat. 

Heart.

Breath. 

Keith. 

Then Keith’s lips were on his. They were so much softer than he had expected, as familiar against his own as breathing was to his lungs, warm and pliant against his own. As those lips dragged against his own tenderly they sent warmth trailing through Lance’s body. This felt so natural, so wonderful. As Keith sighed against his mouth it was evident to Lance that this was exactly what had been missing. That ever since he had woken up with no memories every part of him had been longing for Keith. For the way as he deepened the push and pull of their mouths Keith only hummed happily, well practised in the movements of their lips.    
Lance’s eyes slipped closed involuntarily as Keith pulled them closer, cupping Lance’s face with his hand. As Lance’s hands strayed of their own accord to the soft strands of Keith’s hair something in him seemed to release. A dam breaking, and with every brush of their lips memories were colliding in Lance’s mind. 

All 18 years worth of life in one second. 

The ground hitting his head, though that wasn’t what he saw.

He saw missions.

Blood.

Fighting. 

Voltron swooping in. 

He saw himself sacrificing himself for his teammates time and time again.

Being berated for it.

Keith sobbing as he hugged him tight after Lance almost died. Again. 

Was someone screaming at him? 

Screams of fans. 

Screams in battle.

Him kissing Keith for the first time, scared and messy but perfect. 

Holding hands on a beach as the sun set. 

Lance with two children, his niece and nephew. 

Pidge and Hunk teasing him. 

In a flight simulator. 

In the commons. 

Laughing together.

Allura on their spa days, telling him about Altea.

Her first love.

Her first heartbreak.

Lance teaching her Earth customs and slang. 

Dancing to the sound of Lance singing. 

Shiro patting him on the shoulder and telling him how proud he was. 

Lance fawning over Shiro in the newspaper.

Crying after the Kerberos mission failure.

Coran and him cleaning cryopods and laughing until their sides ached.

Learning new Altean words.

Teaching him about Earth. 

Keith.

Swaying to their humming in Lance’s bedroom.

Failing at cooking every week at 2am. 

Their fake rivalry.

Lips.

Teeth.

Skin. 

Smiles.

Family.

Teasing.

Laughing.

Crying. 

From Pidge.

Hunk. 

Allura.

Shiro. 

Coran.

_ Keith _ . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reminder that i'm on both twitter ([frecklylance](https://twitter.com/frecklyIance)) and tumblr ([nerdydisneychild](https://nerdydisneychild.tumblr.com/)) so come scream to me if you'd like to cause I'd love to hear from you!!! :))


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is almost 5.1k of pure FLUFF ahdjfghgjsd but i feel like we all deserve it
> 
> small content warning there is a makeout in here which gets.... pretty heated but im absolutely not comfortable writing smut so its still quite mild! but if that makes you uncomfortable overall from "they barely made it through lance's door" you can skip to the end if you like! 
> 
> hope you guys enjoy!

_ One memory stuck out more than the others, a morning so recent yet just out of reach.  _

 

Lance blinked into the morning light, his body wrapped warmly in another, their limbs intertwined and pressed snugly together.   
“Morning sleepyhead,” a gruff voice whispered, pressing a kiss to Lance’s jaw. He shivered at the contact, smiley dopily as he finally managed to fully open his eyes. Keith’s face was resting against his bare chest, arms looped over his waist and eyes glittering with adoration.   
“Mornin’,” Lance mumbled back, absentmindedly drawing circles into his boyfriend’s bare shoulder. The morning was a serene kind of quiet, the type Lance had grown alarmingly used to in the last year. The niggling voice in the back of his mind tried to remind him that Keith was leaving for a week today, but he forced it to the back corner where it belonged. That was a later problem.

 

The only thing Lance was going to think about in this very moment was the messy bird’s nest that was Keith’s mullet; standing up in every direction, and bangs splayed out across his forehead. Gently untangling an arm from their mess of limbs he ran his fingers through the messy locks, smiling fondly as Keith pouted up at him.   
“Glorious bedhead love,” Lance cooed teasingly, laughing softly as Keith tried to protest but then made a humming noise as Lance scratched along his scalp in just the way he liked.   
“Shut up nerd-” Keith began to chastise but cut off with a gasp as Lance used his grip on Keith’s hair to tug him forward into a kiss. Their lips were warm and lazy as they clung to the last remnants of sleep they had. They started off soft and slow before picking up speed as that hot, gooey feeling filled Lance’s stomach. Keith clambered further up Lance’s body, vastly improving the angle and Lance would be lying if his entire being didn’t swoop at the feeling. All too soon they were breaking apart, chests heaving against each other and hearts thumping. 

 

Keith smiled down at Lance in that way that made his head spin and his stomach flip. His lips were swollen and pink and Lance leaned up to nip at them, his skin buzzing with the knowledge that he’s the one that’s disheveled Keith so much. No matter how long they had been together, Lance didn’t think he’d ever stop being proud to know he could affect Keith like this.   
“We should- we should stop before I can’t stop,” Keith gasped, his hands still pinning Lance to the mattress.   
Lance waggled his eyebrows at him, reaching up to grip Keith’s hips and stroke along the exposed bone just above his boxers, “Must we?”   
Keith leaned down to peck Lance once on the lips, unable to help himself like Lance knew he would. He quickly danced out of Lance’s reach though, before he could pull the two of them into another heated kiss.   
“Unfortunately,” Keith smirked patting Lance’s shoulder before sliding out of the bed and leaving Lance cold and alone, “We do have to.” 

 

Lance groaned, flopping his head backwards onto the pillow and grumbling softly to himself. All he got for his dramatic efforts was a laughing boyfriend and a black t-shirt tossed at his head.   
“Will that be enough to tide you by whilst I’m gone?” Keith teased, giggling a little at the way it clung to Lance’s head as he sat up. Lance was certain he would wear a hundred t-shirts on his head if it meant hearing that sound. He flipped the fabric to the side so it was draped over his ear and pouted at his boyfriend.  
“Are you trying to suggest a piece of fabric can replace -” he made a loopy figure in the air with his hands, tracing Keith’s body from where he was tugging a brand new shirt over his head “- all of that?”  
Keith rolled his eyes fondly, walking over to Lance and delicately removing the item of clothing, dropping it onto Lance’s lap. He faltered momentarily, tucking a stray curl behind Lance’s freckled ear, “I’m gonna miss you,” he breathed, as though the words were coming straight from Keith’s subconscious. 

 

“I’m gonna miss you too,” Lance replied, his words coming out as soft and breathy as Keith’s. Purely because the warmth in Keith’s eyes was leaving him breathless, and the way he was cupping his face like he was a porcelain doll was a little too much for Lance’s weak bi heart.   
With a sad hum Keith was crossing the room again and pulling his purple hairbrush from its place on Lance’s shelf.   
Lance shoved the t-shirt unceremoniously beneath his pillow and stared up at Keith from his place on the bed. Keith glanced at him in the mirror and smiled but didn’t stop raking the brush through his mullet, the crazy bedhead being tamed into a much more manageable ponytail. 

 

Lance seized his opportunity, “Hey darling?” he crooned, getting to his feet and dancing his way across the room.  
Keith hummed, “Mmm?” Still focused on tucking the remaining bangs behind his ears and attempting to slot a few stray hairs into place.   
“Sweetheart, angel, love, babe, my moon?”   
Keith glared at him through the mirror, a blush blooming on his cheeks, “What?”   
Lance moved across the room until he was pressed against the back of Keith, bending an inch so his lips were brushing the nape of his neck, “Starlight?”   
“L-Lance we don’t have time,” Keith whimpered, his hand tracing along Lance’s jawline as he snuggled into the place were Keith’s neck met his jaw. 

 

Lance sighed heavily, the air fanning out against Keith’s neck, “I know we don’t. You know I love you right?” Lance lifted his eyes so he could meet Keith’s in the mirror again, pressing a soft kiss to the sensitive spot beneath Keith’s jaw.   
Keith’s breath hitched but not before he could reply, “I know,” whilst Lance continued kissing along the sensitive skin he added, “I love you too.”   
Much as Keith had been complaining about their lack of time, he wasted none of it pulling Lance’s face up to meet his in a heated kiss. They pushed and pulled together before pulling apart with a pop, Lance’s head dropping to Keith’s shoulder as his head spun. 

 

“Lance?” Keith said softly, his fingers carding through Lance’s hair. Lance hummed in response, nosing against Keith’s neck. “How would you feel about telling everyone about us?”   
Lance’s muscles tensed at the words, fear instantly clawing its way up his throat and bubbling in his stomach. Keith’s other hand shuffled around so it was rubbing soothing circles into his hip, fingers still carding through his hair and despite the instinct to shy away from the fear Lance let his body relax into it.   
When he didn’t say anything Keith plowed onwards, taking Lance’s silence for exactly what it was - an invitation to continue the conversation. “I know we had our reasons for not telling them, and you still haven’t come out to Pidge and Hunk but… ” he trailed off, soothing fingers slowing. 

 

Lance took that as his cue to truly join the conversation, lifting his head so they were eye to eye, “it was mostly fear we wouldn’t make it,” he finished for Keith. He nodded, fingers dancing down Lance’s face until he was holding his cheek as though he were the most beautiful thing in the world.   
“I think we’re gonna make it,” he whispered and at those soft words Lance’s fears melted into hot, molten affection, trailing over his body and leaving goosebumps in their wake. It was so much more than ‘I love you’. It was a promise, ‘I’m not leaving unless you want me to’.   
“Yeah,” Lance responded, voice just as hushed, as desperate to keep them in their bubble. He nudged his nose against Keith’s fondly as the other boy spoke again, “So we’ll tell them? Cause that’d mean the others will finally stop thinking we hate each other, Hunk will stop pointing you towards whatever girl walks into the vicinity and we can be cuddly more often,” he rambled. One point stuck out to Lance more than the others. 

 

He smirked, leaning back in Keith’s hold so he could waggle his eyebrows at Keith suggestively, “You jealous of all the girls?” He crooned.   
With a laugh dancing on Keith’s lips he shoved Lance away, “Go get ready asshole.”   
“You  _ are _ jealous tonto!” Lance giggled. 

“Idiot.” 

“Prick.” 

“Dumby.” 

“Dork.” 

“Nerd.” 

“Mullet,” Lance pulled Keith into his arms, ever so slightly dipping him and placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “We’ll tell them, and then I’m all yours for as long as you want me.” 

 

~-~-~

 

Lance’s eyes snapped open to meet violet ones brimming with tears, fear shooting out of them and landing in Lance’s heart. His body was tucked against Keith’s, sheltered from the world.   
“Y-you’re cradling me in your arms,” Lance teased with a shaky smile.   
Keith let out a violent sob, shoulders heaving as he pulled Lance upwards and into a tight hug. Lance attempted to return the embrace with weak limbs, body sluggish from the thousands of memories that had been returned.   
They sat there together, arms wrapped around each other, hearts racing and tears dripping onto each other’s shoulders for what felt like forever, and also not at all long enough.   
Suddenly Keith broke the embrace with a choked gasp, as though he had been clobbered on the head with a baseball. 

 

“You remember?” He whispered, fingers digging into Lance’s shoulders almost painfully, but he didn’t mind. Everything about Keith was alight, from the shock in his toned frame, to the tears dripping from his eyelashes, to the hope that was sparking in his eyes. Amidst it all Lance could do nothing but nod.   
He had thought he had felt every way Keith could kiss. Soft and gentle, as though they were both made of shattered glass. Burning and passionate, as he breathed his fire into Lance’s lungs. Powerful and intoxicating, teasing Lance’s lips until he felt like he would melt under Keith’s fingertips. Drunken. Sleepy. Gentle. Fierce. Tender.   
Keith kissed like he fought - intuitive, impulsive, reckless, and with every ounce of himself. He was like a fire, mouth hot and powerful, and Lance was intoxicated, but he had never kissed like this. 

 

This was like Lance was the last thing left in the world, everything around them had fallen away. Keith’s lips were slow and delicate, but insistent, only just brushing Lance’s but every brush was like an earthquake. A promise. It was Keith’s heart pouring out, the sadness of being forgotten, the relief of being remembered.   
The kiss didn’t last for long, but one thing in Lance’s mind was certain, even if he forgot his entire life again, he would never forget that kiss.   
“You remember me?” Keith breathed into the air, tears still running down his cheeks, framing his flushed and exhausted face.   
“I remember you,” Lance smiled back. He reached up to cup his boyfriend’s cheek, wiping away the tears with the pad of his thumb, “I’m so sorry.” 

 

Lance’s eyes burned as he watched Keith shake his head, moving closer until their chests were pressed flush together. 

“Don’t apologise-” Keith started before Lance cut him off. 

“We were going to tell them and you had to deal with me forgetting you and -” 

“That wasn’t your fault -” 

“I didn’t listen to you -” 

Keith slapped a hand over Lance’s mouth with a fond quirk to his eyebrows and tear tracks dried on his face, “Listen nerd, nothing was your fault.”   
At Lance’s muffled arguments from behind his hand, Keith rolled his eyes, smirk widening. “Okay not listening to me was your fault,” he conceded, “but you were just believing your friends. I won’t blame you for tha- did you just lick my hand?” 

 

Keith ripped his hand away and the instant it was separated from Lance’s face he was speaking, “I’m still sorry, but I stand by what I said before I -” he swallowed heavily “- before I forgot everything. We’re gonna tell them,” he promised.   
The pure unadulterated affection in Keith’s eyes was enough to set Lance’s heart into cardiac arrest.   
“No more hiding how much I love you,” Lance said, leaning in to nuzzle Keith’s cheek, “you and your dumb mullet.”   
He listened to the wonderful sound of Keith’s barely held back laughter, the rough calloused hands that cupped Lance’s cheeks and leaned in close; only to whisper, “you’re an asshole.” 

 

Lance spluttered, “Says you dickhead!”   
The grin that overtook Keith’s face was angelic, stretched from ear to ear and so bright it almost blinded Lance; tears welling up in those dark violet eyes that Lance had fallen for all those months ago.   
“God I’ve missed you,” Keith hiccuped, pulling Lance forwards so their lips crashed together and their heartbeats thumped through their connected chests. 

 

The kiss was salty with tears, Keith’s fingers digging into Lance’s biceps as though if he let go of his hold Lance would forget him again. Lance’s hands tugged on Keith’s hair as though if he didn’t hold him close he would never hold him again.   
“When are we going to tell them?” Keith asked, gently wiping the tears from Lance’s cheeks. 

 

As Lance opened his mouth to respond the alarm sounded, so loud it seemed to pulsate in their very souls.   
“Shit!” Keith and Lance yelled simultaneously.   
They leapt to their feet, shedding jackets onto the floor with animosity, the alarms forcing urgency into their movements.   
Just as Lance turned to run out of the room he felt his wrist catch in a familiar grip, “Be safe out there Sharpshooter,” Keith said before pulling Lance into a fiery kiss, there for barely a second before he was turning and bolting out of the room. 

 

Lance only allowed himself a moment to let Keith’s touch warm his body from his chest out, before following Keith’s path towards his hangar; scrubbing the tears from his face as he went.   
The team were all arranged in the hangar and soaring into the sky only two minutes later.   
“Alright team,” Keith’s voice crackled the comms to life, images appearing before Lance of all his friends faces, “V formation, follow my lead.” 

 

“What the fuck happened to you two?” Pidge asked as she dropped back to Keith’s left flank. The five of them rushing towards the Galra fighters, only two of them, but more would be on the way.   
“Language Pidge -” Hunk chastised, “- But seriously guys, you look like wrecks.”   
Lance shot a split second glance towards Keith, who was already looking right back at him, “Uh…” They shared a look, a silent confirmation that mid battle was most certainly  _ not _ the time for this conversation.   
“It’s nothing,” Lance mumbled, struggling to meet Pidge’s slowly narrowing eyes.   
She squinted at him accusingly, “Doesn’t seem like nothing to me…” she trailed off ominously, as though the unfinished sentence held every secret Lance had ever kept under his belt. 

 

“Oh boys don’t tell me you took an argument too far again?” Allura sighed sadly. Lance glanced desperately at Keith. His boyfriend was staring back at him, his expression practically begging Lance to do something.   
“It’s fine guys,” he mumbled, voice unsure and nervous.   
Hunk and Allura responded with noises of discontent but didn’t press further; Pidge had no such qualms.   
She rolled her eyes, leaning forward so her face filled the screen further, “If it was fine you wouldn’t both have faces like that. Either you’ve both been smoking a fuck ton of weed or you just cried like you were babies born yesterday, we need to talk no matter which option is true so start now.” 

 

“It doesn’t matter-,” Keith huffed, and at Pidge’s expression he continued, “right  _ now _ .” Lance watched as his team leader expression slipped back into place, positioning himself ready for battle, “lets just win this thing.”   
The team seemed unconvinced but allowed themselves to sweep their doubts to the sidelines, focusing instead on the task at hand.   
The Galra fighters were advancing at an increasing pace, their purple lights flickering ominously as the canons charged.   
Lance felt the familiar tug of nerves and adrenaline tug at the base of his stomach, the feeling of battle was scarily comfortable. The rumble of Red in his mind, the adrenaline thrumming in the air, his helmet and armour pressing against his skin; comfortable as slipping on an overworn item of clothing. Unlike when he didn’t have his memories, this time Lance knew exactly what to expect, and wasn’t relying on his instincts alone. 

 

He rolled his shoulders, settling into the controls in anticipation, “What’s the game plan?” At Lance’s words the team turned to Keith, waiting for instructions.   
“Alright,” Keith charged forwards as the Galra locked targets on them, “Standard procedure, Hunk and Pidge take the four ships on the left-”   
“On it!”   
“Allura you handle the two ion cannons on the right and Lance stick with me, we’ll take down the rear ships and then reform to finish the job as a team.” 

 

The lions fanned out as the heat of the battle grew.   
Lance leaned forward, urging Red to leap through the air faster, claws scraping the sides of Galra cruisers and scratching cannons. In his wake he left scattered debris and carnage, and it felt  _ good _ . It felt good to feel the full connection with Red again, to have control of his body and know exactly what he should do and when. More than anything, it felt good to fight alongside Keith and know exactly how to support him.   
He knew where Keith would be, entire seconds before Keith even thought to move there. He knew where to dodge a blow he was aiming for a ship behind Lance, when to dive forward and take the ship instead. 

 

They were taking out Galra cruisers left right and centre, the sounds of their destruction echoing in Lance’s ears as he flew alongside Keith.   
“We’ve got our section,” Hunk’s voice announced into the comms, and as Lance glanced to the left he could see they had completely taken care of that side. Not only had they taken out the ships like Keith requested but they also managed to destroy an ion cannon on one of the front ships for Keith and Lance.   
“Nice work Hunkey!” Lance crowed as the Yellow and Green lion swooped in to join them.   
Even without the video comms enabled Lance could still picture with perfect clarity the eyeroll Pidge was sending his way, “I helped too Lance.”   
“Sure sure sure.”   
“Lance!”   
“Alright you both did well,” Keith broke in, amusement tinting the very edges of his tone, “Allura how’re you handling your side?” 

 

There was a short moment before Allura responded where the team could hear her heavy panting, “Gonna. Need some- ack!” She broke off with a pause in which Lance could hear the sound of Blue firing ice at the Galra ships, “Gonna need some backup over here!” She finally managed.   
Without hesitation the group was flying over to her, lions geared up ready to fight. 

 

Allura was stuck between two Galra ships, desperately trying to take out the ion cannon whilst dodging shots from behind.   
“Allura!” Lance cried out in warning as the cannon locked on her, watching in terror as she darted out of the way.   
Through gritted teeth she replied with, “Thank you Lance,” and after a short squeal of fear added, “Please hurry!” 

 

The lions seemed to sense the team’s urgency and Lance could feel the burst of speed Red let out, jumping from debris to asteroid and using the momentum to urge them faster.   
Without a moment’s hesitation he was diving into the fray, wincing at the hiss of irritation Keith let out as he launched directly into the line of fire. “If you die Lance I  _ will _ kill you!” His familiar gruff voice yelled out.   
“Shut up Mullet I’ll be fine,” Lance retorted, pointedly ignoring Pidge’s remark of “just like old times.”

 

Lance shot the ion cannon square in the barrel as Allura with his backup was finally able to attack the cruiser.   
“Boo yah!” Lance hollered, watching gleefully as the ion cannon exploded into shattered pieces. He could hear Keith’s fond eye roll at the whooping he was performing along with his victory dance. 

 

After rejoining Allura the fight was easy to win, perhaps the Galra hadn’t been prepared to take on the lions today, or perhaps the team was simply ahead of their game for a day. Lance wasn’t complaining, in what felt like no time at all they were soaring back towards the castle. With only a few minor blasts to their lion and one scrape across Allura’s cheek which Coran was already informing them that he would attend to. 

 

“Great work team,” Shiro’s voice encouraged over the comms, “You guys deserve a rest.”   
The team all heaved a collective sigh of relief at the words. Lance leaned back in his chair as he connected to the video comms and his friends faces appeared before him.   
“Anyone feel like a group sleepover tonight?” Hunk suggested, stretching his arms above his head so the whole team could hear the popping of his bones. To say the group exploded with excitement at Hunk’s suggestion would be an understatement. It was like the spark he struck with his match of an idea set the air alight; everyone began rattling off ideas of what they could do.   
Face masks, truth or dare, “shall we play a game of pin the tail on the racksplurger?” Coran suggested, which was a terrifying suggestion knowing the orange moustache wearing man. 

 

Everyone was shouting out suggestions that was, except for Lance and Keith - together they were sharing a silent conversation. 

Keith raised his eyebrows ever so slightly,  _ Are we going to tell them there?” _

The corner of Lance’s lip quirked,  _ Of course we are.  _

At that Keith’s eyes all but melted with fondness,  _ I love you so fucking much. _

Lance’s smile stretched across his face,  _ I love you too, _ he winked,  _ nerd. _

Keith rolled his eyes fondly,  _ Says you…  _ he smirked,  _ nerd. _

Lance huffed a laugh, before letting his shoulders bunch, chewing on the side of his lip,  _ I’m scared.  _

_ We’re gonna be okay, _ Keith’s softened gaze assured him,  _ I’ll be right here with you _ . 

Lance was allowing himself to relax when Keith’s gaze darkened, sending tremors down Lance’s spine to pool at the base of his stomach.

He didn’t need to think about what Keith was meaning from that gaze, they both had the exact same idea. 

 

~-~-~

 

They barely made it through Lance’s door before Keith’s hands were seizing Lance’s shirt and pulling him so they were pressed flush together.   
“Oomph, someone’s eager,” Lance teased, leaning forward to capture Keith’s lips with his own. Keith sighed into his mouth, the sound setting off an earthquake through Lance’s body. They begun chaste and gentle, lips gently pushing against the other’s, hands straying from shirts to cup cheeks and play with hair. Noses brushing softly and breaths light and airy. Lance let his body go pliant as Keith brushed a thumb along his cheekbone, slow and purposeful, hand moving to grip at Lance’s hair and  _ Oh.  _

 

The change was fluid like running water down a hill, one moment their kisses were soft and slow, the next Keith’s hand was tugging at Lance’s hair in that one spot that made molten lava pool in his stomach and the desire they had for each other was unleashed. Lance felt every one of his muscles unwind, melting into Keith and letting himself be pushed backwards and backwards, further, until the back of his knees were hitting the foot of the bed and he was scrambling up and against the wall, only allowing their lips to separate for a short moment before pulling Keith back in. 

 

He was intoxicating. Lips firm and sensual but not goddamn fast enough, drinking Lance in as though this was their last moment on Earth - or not on Earth as the case had it. With every one of Lance’s attempts to speed up the tempo Keith only deepened the kiss, dragging him in closer, drowning in the best way. As they broke apart with a gasp for air Lance glared at his boyfriend’s beautiful face, his glare was lost on Keith’s closed eyes, long eyelashes fluttered against red cheeks, pink lips parted slightly in a dazed way.   
Way too beautiful for Lance’s poor heart.   
“Are you trying to kill me Mullet?” He demanded, nudging their noses together to catch Keith’s attention.   
As their noses bumped Keith opened his eyes, dark, and half lidded, a hungry type of desire. Lance’s stomach swooped, a trail of goosebumps and heat creeping its way down his spine, those dark violet eyes pouring heat into the base of his stomach. 

 

“I have been waiting for this for months,” Keith rumbled, his voice husky and ever  so slightly breathless from their kiss, “By the time I’m done with you, you won’t even remember your own name.”   
_ Well fuck _ , was Lance’s only coherent thought; if that wasn’t enough to send his heart into overdrive and set his nerves on fire. All he could manage was a squeak before Keith’s lips were seizing his again.   
He was still devastatingly slow, chapped lips dragging against Lance’s own, but the heat was growing stronger. Keith’s inability to savour the moment shining through as the kisses grew more heated and powerful, lips pushing and pulling with increasing fervour. 

 

Lance pulled away with a pop for a short gasp of breath, “Technically I’ve been waiting for this too,” he gasped with a shaky smile. At Keith’s unamused look he nodded, “Yeah okay you can take this one but- mmph!” Coloured spots soared behind Lance’s eyelids as Keith’s tongue swiped across his bottom lip impatiently, their kisses coated with heat and love. Their lips were strong and tantalisingly powerful, Keith’s teeth grazed ever so often in a way that left Lance keening for more. The heat which overwhelmed Lance in the best way, licking into his mouth and sending his head spinning.   
The heat pooling in Lance’s stomach was warming him from the inside out, Keith’s hands straying to his hips leaving burning trails in their wake. Every touch was heated and excruciatingly strong. Fingers tracing ever individual vertebrae of his spine as Keith hiked up Lance’s shirt. Hands gripping at the dip of Lance’s hips, stroking circles with his thumbs into the ridges of his hip bones.   
He was falling back into the pillows at the head of his bed before he even realised they were moving, Keith pulled away with a pop, smirking down at him.   
“Hello handsome,” Lance crooned, pretending for his own sake his voice didn’t break at the end. Keith’s smirk growing smug was enough for Lance to know he had noticed how worked up Lance was.   
“Why hello gorgeous,” Keith mumbled, pinning Lance’s wrists above his head, which was definitely  _ not _ making that heat in Lance’s stomach relocate to another place. 

 

Before Lance could react with anything more than a low whine at that, Keith leaned down to gently peck his lips, not even long enough to be considered chaste. 

“Tease,” Lance scoffed. 

“Payback,” Keith retorted. 

They sat panting, Lance’s hands stuck in Keith’s tight grip and their faces inches too far apart for him to close the distance in their position. Keith looked entirely too proud of himself sitting there, his head cocked to the side as he grinned down at Lance.   
The way they were positioned it was impossible for Lance to get to Keith with his hands, or lips, that much was obvious, but in his dazed state Keith had failed to notice one key detail.   
Lance lifted a leg to push up against Keith and let his grin grow as his boyfriend gasped, dropping Lance’s wrists as his arms grew weak and leaning forward to recapture Lance’s lips.  
He took advantage of his new freedom to thread his fingers into that god forsaken mullet that he loved so much, tugging at the soft strands in a way that had Keith gasping into his mouth. 

 

A loud knock sounded at the door. 

“Yo! Lance!” Pidge’s voice, outside the door. 

Keith pulled away, slapping at Lance’s shoulder as he whined, gesturing to the door widely. 

“ _ Answer her!” _ He hissed. 

Lance growled at him, smirking slightly as Keith’s cheeks flushed red hot, “Yeah Pidge?” He answered with as much casual ease he could, praying to every heavenly host that he didn’t sound as spent as he was.   
She huffed from outside the door, “Not letting me in?”   
“Uhhhh no… gremlin,” he scrambled to think of an excuse but luckily Pidge seemed to be unbothered or too lazy to care.   
“Whatever,” he could practically hear her stick out her tongue at him through the door. “You coming to the sleepover?”   
“Yeah I’ll be there,” he replied easily, letting his hands ghost the sides of Keith’s torso and grinning widely at the gasp Keith made in response. 

 

That appeared to be enough for Pidge, she changed the topic easily, “Cool, you seen Keith?”   
Lance froze, Keith’s eyes snapped to meet his, chewing on his pink lip nervously.   
“Uhh no?” he laughed, too high pitched to be casual but Pidge didn’t seem to notice, she must be distracted, “Why would I have?”   
She hummed, “Okay I’m gonna try and find him.”   
Keith slapped his shoulder, rolling his eyes at the hiss of  _ “ow”  _ Lance gave, rubbing the offended shoulder with a glare. 

_ “Tell her I’ll be coming!”  _

_ “How the fuck would I know-” _

_ “Just make it work”  _

Lance huffed as Keith glared at him pointedly, “I’m sure he’ll be coming though!” He finally responded.   
There was a long pause in which Lance was sure Pidge had already walked away before she responded hesitantly, “Okay…” both boys froze as they listened to her footsteps trail down the hall. 

 

Keith is the first one to break, doubling over until his face was buried into the crook of Lance’s neck, giggles shaking his whole body. The two of them lost themselves in laughter.   
It was beautiful, it was all Lance had wanted, it was laughter exploding out of their mouths as they hands held each other tightly. Keith’s eyes crinkled and warm, Lance could do nothing but watch in awe as his boyfriend sat up and just laughed.   
“Have you seen Keith?” Keith mimicked, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Lance’s as they huffed out matching giggles.   
“She sounded so confused,” Lance said moving his hands to rest on Keith’s hips. 

 

With a soft smile Keith pressed a feather light kiss to the corner of Lance’s lips, “I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered, the honesty of it cracking his words.   
“I’ve missed you too,” Lance smiled, his thumb slipping under Keith’s shirt to stroke along his hip bone, “we should go meet the others though.” 

Keith hummed, rolling his hips slightly and grinning wickedly at Lance’s gasp, “maybe in a bit?”   
“Yeah sounds good,” Lance replied breathlessly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm on both twitter ([frecklylance](https://twitter.com/frecklyIance)) and tumblr ([nerdydisneychild](https://nerdydisneychild.tumblr.com/)) so if you wanna come chat with me i'd love to hear from you!!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and this is it!! holy crap i can't believe i made it this far   
> i'll do thanks and stuff in the end note but i hope you enjoy the final chapter of these idiots!   
> i love them

Lance kicked his legs onto Pidge’s lap as he flopped backwards onto the couch, grinning wickedly as he watched her nose wrinkle before she offered his ankle an awkward pat.   
“Your feet smell,” she huffed, trying to sound annoyed as he jabbed his toes into her stomach, but the wide grin on her face gave her away.   
“Well your face is weird,” he retaliated childishly, tucking his arms under his head.   
“Oh burn!” Hunk cheered as he walked past with a tray of muffins, “Nice one buddy,” he added bumping his fist against Lance’s.   
Pidge rolled her eyes with an exaggerated slump of her shoulders, “That wasn’t even close to a burn. It was warm at best. Also -” she wrinkled her nose, “- your feet still stink.”   
“How dare you!” He gasped scandalised, sitting bolt upright and purposefully throwing said ‘stinky feet’ closer to Pidge’s face, “Allura! Defend my honour!”   
The Altean princess did nothing but look up from where she was painting Shiro’s nails to shrug at him, before returning to the task at hand. 

 

Lance pouted, jutting out his lip and glaring at his so called friends, “No one cares about Lance,” he whined.   
“Why does no one care about Lance?” Keith asked from the doorway.   
To Lance’s credit he did try very hard not to think about the way just minutes prior the gorgeous dark haired boy had dragged him in for ‘one last kiss before he left’.   
If he couldn’t distract his very dumb bi disaster brain from chasing after the memory of those soft lips pushing against his, well that was hardly his fault was it? No, that was all to blame on the quirk of Keith’s dark eyebrows, his dumb mullet framing his dumb attractive face. How had they managed to keep this a secret for so long again? 

 

“Keith you came!” Pidge screeched, shoving Lance’s feet off her lap and jumping over to him.  _ Yeah he really came earlie-  _ Lance cut that thought off quickly as it crossed through his mind, flopping backwards again bemoaning the loss of his footstool and absolutely  _ not  _ thinking about Keith. He half-heartedly listened to Pidge demanding to know where he had been hiding and her excited retelling of the plans for the night.   
It was now that Keith had arrived that Lance was remembering what he was going to be telling his friends tonight, the step he was going to be taking, coming out. His lungs seized for a moment as his thoughts began to spiral, he was quickly drawn out of this particular train of thought by a flick to the centre of his forehead.   
“Hey asshole,” Keith huffed, the haze in Lance’s eyes cleared to be met with concerned dark violet staring back at him, “Stop thinking and focus.”   
The words themselves were sharp and honestly kinda rude, but Lance could hear Keith’s underlying concern, the gentle reminder that he needed to try not to overthink so much, just enjoy tonight. 

 

He wrinkled his nose and poked his tongue out childishly in response, earning himself another flick to the forehead, “Keith!” he shrieked, flapping his arms out to keep him at bay. Keith only huffed a quiet laugh and backed off, throwing himself onto a cushion beside Allura and leaning in to watch as she finished off Shiro’s nails.   
Lance let his attention wander, smiling softly to himself as he listened to Keith ask Allura “Will you do mine next?” 

 

Everything about the room was so familiar, and finally in a way he could truly appreciate and remember. 

The sound of Pidge’s fingers as they flew across a keyboard, finishing up on some coding before the undoubtable thrashing she would offer the team when they started playing Altean monopoly. 

Allura and Keith debating over whether he should have red or black nail polish, Keith insisting black would be better but Allura adamant that red would be more symbolic. 

The soft sound of Shiro blowing on his nails, hands fanned away from his face awkwardly because he had never quite gotten the knack of how to hold his hands after Allura painted his nails. 

Coran muttering angrily to himself as he struggled to unload “Hell Twister” from the storage containers - the team had dubbed it as such after only five minutes of playing. 

Lastly Hunk humming happily as he finished loading the treats onto the coffee table. 

It was so familiar, it was home. 

 

It wasn’t that the fear evaporated, it more slipped away. Like a blanket he shucked off because he was getting too hot, he still felt slightly susceptible to monsters without it, but at least he wasn’t burning in the furnace that he had been.   
Which was why when Pidge threw her laptop to the side and Hunk flopped onto the couch beside her he didn’t flinch, he didn’t feel the nerves bubble up inside him like a volcano about to erupt, slowly rising until it reached his throat and - okay maybe he felt it a little. Nowhere to the extent he expected though, considering that in the year of being with Keith, he had felt this fear many a time. The idea of coming out had been a terrifying, far away concept, he had always known deep down that he was bisexual. He had never been ashamed of it, but he had _always_ been terrified of telling anyone. }  
He never thought he would be able to tell a soul, and now he was going to tell his entire team. So yeah, he was expecting more fear than he was feeling. 

 

Pidge broke the silence - and subsequently Lance’s train of thought - by clapping her hands together, throwing her laptop away as though it weren’t an intricate piece of machinery and grinning maniacally.   
“So,” she began with a gleam in her eyes that promised either terror or fun, “what game first?   
There was a temptation in the back of Lance’s mind to let the conversation begin and put this conversation back in the box it had remained since the two of them had started dating. The idea of it was so damn alluring that he almost gave in, until he looked at Keith.

 

Keith. 

With those beautiful dark eyes that were staring at him patiently. Giving Lance the opportunity to back out. Assuring Lance that he wouldn’t conversation himself, but clearly desperate to come clean. 

Keith. 

With those hands that Lance had fallen apart beneath; that had held him close during breakdowns, that Lance had mapped every crevice of with his own. 

Keith. 

With those soft lips that always knew what to say, how to kiss him, when to smile, when to frown. Those lips that were quirking ever so slightly now, encouraging him in the best way, sincere and loving. 

 

“Actually,” Lance found himself speaking before he had even made up his mind, “I have something I wanted to say.” He forced himself to look away from Keith’s encouraging smile to the eyes of their teammates. He knew, deep down, that they would never judge him. They were his best friends, his family, and they hadn’t even blinked an eye when Keith himself or Shiro, or Pidge came out.   
All of them were staring at him, insistent but silent, picking up on the tremble of his voice and the bunching of his shoulders. He opened his mouth but no words emerged. Nothing but a strained whisper managed its way past his lips. Lance picked at a loose thread on his sweatpants, unable to look up again.   
“What is it Lance?” Shiro eventually prompted, his voice was coated in warm, gentle concern. 

 

Lance remembered how Shiro had come out. It had been so chill and casual, just a mention of his fiance Adam, and they had all moved on with their day without a second thought; but Lance had noticed the way the tension in his mentor’s shoulders seemed to bleed out for a moment; the relief that no one else noticed.   
“I…” he tried again, taking a deep breath to calm his heart as it threatened to pound its way out of his chest, “I… err. I got my memories back.”   
The room exploded in a chorus of excitement, all memory of Lance’s fear seemed to fade out of existence for everyone but him as they danced around in joy. Hunk leapt forward to squeeze Lance into a hug that almost crushed every bone in his body.   
“How did we meet?” Hunk asked, squishing Lance’s cheeks together so he was barely able to garble out his response.   
“Paiwed up at the Gawwison.”   
“HE DOES REMEMBER!” Hunk all but sobbed, clutching Lance tighter to his body. 

 

It was then that the question, the dreaded question, that Lance had been waiting for emerged.   
“Wait… how did you get them back?” Pidge asked, cocking her head to stare at him imploringly. For a brief second Lance had to remind himself that she didn’t know the weight of the question, reminding himself not to strangle her for making everyone in the team turn to look at him. Waiting.   
“Well I uhh… I…” He stumbled over his words, back cracking as Hunk finally released him back onto the couch. 

 

“Yeah how did you get them back?” Allura asked, leaning forward eagerly. 

“What did you do?” 

“Nothing we tried worked!” 

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“When did this happen?” 

“How did you do it Lance?” 

The questions seemed to bounce around his skull, growing louder and louder as each paladin added their own question to the mix and the cacophony of noise grew. 

How? Why? When? What? How? 

How Lance?

How?   
What did you do Lance?   
Lance?

Lance?

_ How?  _

 

“I KISSED KEITH” he boomed over the din, leaving dead silence in his wake. 

You could hear the sound of the mice’s footsteps two rooms down. It was as though no one was even breathing. Lance was positive his own breath was caught in his throat. Over the deafening silence he was sure the team could hear his heart pounding. For a brief moment, it was clear that they were in deep space.   
He forced his eyes away from the floor, where they instantly found Keith’s, widened with surprise but oozing with fondness. Just how in love he seemed to be sent Lance reeling, that was the last expression he had expected to see after such an outburst. 

 

Finally Keith broke the silence.   
“Nicely done Lance, very eloquent,” he teased, eyes glittering with mirth as he made his way over to Lance’s side. Lance did all he could not to sigh into the familiarity of their hands intertwining, Keith’s chin resting on Lance’s shoulder to look at the rest of their friends.   
“Shut up asshole,” he huffed in response, although he was aware that the insult was softened by the way he leaned back into Keith’s chest, heart still racing at the fact they could do this now. 

 

Only once Keith’s other arm was secured around his waist, grounding him, was he able to meet the eyes of the rest of the team. Both surprisingly and unsurprisingly he was met with nothing but confusion and genuine acceptance from every single one of their family.   
Pidge was the first to speak up.   
“I have so many questions,” she said simply, the others chorusing in agreement.   
Lance took a breath and nodded along with Keith, relaxing into the way Keith’s fingers trailed up and down his forearm. 

 

“Hunk?” Lance prompted his best friend who looked equal parts taken aback and excited.   
“You like boys?” He asked, although technically it could be seen as more of a statement, a confirmation if you will.   
Lance grinned, a breathy laugh dancing past his lips as he managed a quiet, “yeah… for quite a while actually.”   
“How long?” Pidge asked, her voice was demanding in the way that Pidge always was, but gentle, as though she were coaxing a scared animal with insistent questions. She rectified her question with, “How long have you been together I mean.” 

 

Keith pulled Lance closer, slotting him in between his legs, answering the question for the both of them, “About thirteen months.” The team’s collective gasp echoed in Lance’s head, he wanted to sink into himself but he let Keith’s tightened grip hold him in place.   
“Why didn’t you tell us?” It was Shiro who asked the question, the one that together they had been dreading since they decided to keep their relationship a secret. Lance could tell even Keith was terrified to answer by the way his embrace tensed, the muscles of his arms tightening until he was almost vibrating with nerves.   
While softly massaging the side of Keith’s arms he took the answer for them, “At first we weren’t sure we were going to last,” he admitted quietly; pretending he didn’t hear the way Keith’s breath hitched. 

 

“Then?” Allura prompted carefully.   
“Then,” Lance continued, “I wasn’t ready to come out as bisexual.”   
He chose to stare at his lap rather than acknowledge the likely expressions on his friends’ faces. Pulling Keith’s arms tighter around himself so their cheeks were almost side by side over his shoulder. Another silence had descended over the room, contemplative and soft.   
Apparently deciding that this awkwardness was not the mood for a group sleepover Pidge shattered their thoughts with, “So Keith really snogged some memories into you huh?”   
“Pidge!” Lance shrieked, burying his burning cheeks in his hands as Keith broke out into wild laughter. 

 

~-~-~

 

In hindsight Keith and Lance should have realised truth or dare was a terrible idea. 

The game started out innocently enough, a few rounds went by; Pidge chugged an entire bottle of Altean milk and Hunk admitted that he once stole a bag of chocolate chips from the Garrison kitchen. The game slowly turned to Keith and Lance, sitting just slightly too closely for friends and basking in the ability to not hold anything back, totally unprepared for the storm that was waiting for them.   
The first was a gentle probe in the right direction, “Keith, truth or dare?” Allura asked, propping her chin on her hand as she waited for his response.   
“Truth,” he responded quickly, the whole team rolled their eyes fondly, Keith was known for rarely choosing Dare… and for hating the game in general.   
She tapped her chin, before grinning - the first sign of the game heading to a dangerous place - and leaning forward eagerly, “When did you first start crushing on Lance?” 

 

Lance couldn’t help but smile in amusement, turning to face his boyfriend as he waited for the answer he had pried out of Keith months earlier.   
He watched as Keith chewed on the side of his mouth, contemplating whether or not to admit to the truth before heaving a sigh and answering, “When he threw a pen at me in the Garrison.”   
The response was instantaneous. Pidge shrieked with laughter, falling from the couch onto Hunk’s lap who was almost too much in shock to notice. Allura and Shiro were kinder, hiding their giggles behind hands or in Shiro’s case coughing into his fist.   
“When he did what?” Coran asked, tilting his head to the side like an intrigued golden retriever.   
Keith sighed heavily pointedly not looking at Lance, “He got so worked up by our so called ‘rivalry’ at the Garrison that he threw a pen at me and then he laughed so hard i couldn’t save my gay ass from falling harder.” 

 

“That is priceless,” Hunk whispered with a stretched grin. The others nodded in agreement as the game slipped back into routine. 

Shiro performed a one man production of Voltron forming, Pidge admitted she once went 72 hours without sleeping and Coran did a handstand for four minutes. 

Hunk hummed tapping his chin thoughtfully before turning to Lance with a boyish grin, “Truth or dare buddy?”   
With similar dramatics Lance made a show of considering his options, much to the amusement of Allura and Coran, and the frustration of Keith, Shiro and Pidge, “Gimme a dare.”   
Hunk leaned backwards on his hands in thought before deciding, “I dare you to sit on Keith’s laps for the next… four rounds,”   
Lance grinned, now that he could do. He turned to Keith with fluttering eyelashes, “Good sir may I rest on this here seat?” He crooned, gesturing with a flourish to Keith’s lap. 

 

With a fond eye roll that Lance had earned many times throughout the course of their relationship Keith seized Lance around the waist, pulling him down onto his lap.   
“Excited?” Lance teased, leaning back to press his cheek against Keith’s, allowing a chuckle at Keith’s huff of frustration that billowed against his face.   
“Shut up nerd,” Keith grumbled, pretending to pout as though Lance couldn’t feel the smile of his cheek pressed against his.   
“Pidge, truth or dare?” Lance asked, and the game continued. 

 

Pidge was dared to dress in Coran’s formal Altean attire for the rest of the game, the ruffles framing her face in a way that gave the impression that the outfit was swallowing her. 

Hunk sheepishly mumbled that he did have a crush on Shay but wasn’t sure how to explore it, the game went off track for a while as they came up with ideas for how to confess. 

Shiro grinned wolfishly, admitting that he was “definitely not a virgin” much to the Keith’s disgust, accented with exaggerated retching noises. 

 

“Lance, truth or dare?” Shiro asked, Lance shuffled into Keith’s lap, ignoring his protests about Lance’s so called ‘bony butt’, pulling Keith’s arms tightly around his waist before stroking his chin thoughtfully.   
“Gotta go with truth,” he finally replied, making sure to leave it just long enough for Keith to butt at the back of his head in an effort to make him hurry up.   
“How did you and Keith actually get together?”   
Keith snorted from behind Lance and he spun around to glare at him in return, “What’s so funny?” Lance demanded, narrowing his eyes when Keith’s smirk only grew.   
Keith ignored Lance’s question turning his attention to the waiting group, “Well Lance was about as eloquent with revealing his feelings to me as he was to you,” he shrugged and Lance spun around with a huff to face the growing eagerness of their friends. 

 

“I resent that,” he sniffed, crossing his arms tightly across his chest, playing up the dramatics purposefully.   
The responding snort from Keith was worth it, “it’s true though.”   
“It is not,” Lance insisted, spinning around once again so they were nose to nose, “I was very eloquent thank you very much.”   
“You hardly  _ said _ anything.”   
“I said more than you,” Lance pointed out, sealing the point with a tongue stuck out, very mature, ten points to Lancey-Lance.   
Keith gasped dramatically, Lance tried (and failed) not to smile at the obvious influence from Lance’s own mannerisms in the action, “low blow dude… low blow.” 

 

“Although your tonsils did a lot of talking,” Lance teased, emphasising the point with an eyebrow waggle.   
Keith’s cheeks flushed slightly as he rolled his eyes, “you technically asked for it.”   
“Touche Kogane, but you weren’t exactly complaining.”   
“Oh shut up dick,” Keith shoved his shoulder, grinning. Lance responded by flicking him in the centre of his forehead.   
“You love me,” Lance said, nudging Keith with his elbow, directly in the ribs.   
Keith shrugged. “Unfortunately,” he replied and before Lance had a chance to rebut pecked him on the lips. 

 

“Asshole,” Lance grumbled to himself as he turned to face the group, only now remembering they were still sitting there. At their bemused expressions he shrunk into himself slightly, shuffling further into Keith’s arms, “What?”   
Hunk shook out of himself first, “Nothing just…” he trailed off with a fond smile.   
“Just?” Lance prompted.   
“It’s just interesting that you two are basically the same, still teasing each other I mean,” he amended at Lance’s affronted expression, “You’re basically bickering but with affection, it’s cute.” 

 

“It’s… cute…” Lance tested the words in his mouth. The fact that this was something they could do now, that their friends commenting on their relationship was normal, was enough to leave a buzzing warmth in Lance’s chest. Their friends could tease them and it felt so  _ normal _ , the easiness of it was comfortable and enveloping.  
“You still haven’t told us how you got together,” Allura pointed out. 

 

Keith snorted again and Lance elbowed him in retaliation before launching into the tale, “When Keith and I began sparring more often he  _ obviously _ couldn’t control his huge crush on me, cause like who could,” he grinned as Keith scoffed but didn’t retaliate, whilst barely hearing the groups groans and snickers at his dramatics, “So one day he just dramatically confessed his love with his mouth and that was that no more questions-”   
“Okay liar,” Keith bumped his nose against the back of Lance’s neck, successfully cutting off his sentence, Hunk complained in the background about Lance’s crudeness. “I distinctly remember someone saying and I quote ‘Sweet jesus Kogane if you don’t kiss me right now I’ll kill you’ so I hardly think the dramatic confession was  _ mine _ ,” Lance could hear the smirk lacing into Keith’s words and he pouted in response as the others began to snicker, Hunk dropped his head into his hands, embarrassed, flushed cheeks only barely visible. 

 

“You didn’t even let me finish my sentence before sticking your tongue down my throat.” 

“Woah tmi!” Hunk groaned. 

“You were hardly complaining,” Keith rebutted oblivious to the team’s complaints. 

“Okay dickhead.” 

“Sure thing asshole.” 

Lance huffed, pulling Keith closer so his chin was resting on Lance’s shoulder, “I love you,” he grumbled.

“Love you too,” Lance could feel the smile of Keith’s cheek pressed against his and it was all he could do to not smile too, he had a reputation to uphold. 

 

“So,” Pidge snapped her fingers under their noses; that was the moment Lance knew they were doomed. “What I’m hearing is, Keith slammed you against the wall and your horny brain malfunctioned to the point of confession?”   
Lance shrugged as Keith dissolved into laughter once again, “Yeah, essentially.” 

The game moved on, but it was as though a hurdle had been finally cleared. The team no longer hesitated to poke fun at Keith and Lance, and they also no longer hesitated to show their approval of the affection between the two. Allura cooed every time Keith pressed a kiss to Lance’s cheek, Shiro smiled proudly as their arguments never strayed further than fond bickering. 

 

It was when Allura was fluttering around the room having been dared to pretend to be a butterfly - whilst having no clue what a butterfly actually was - that Pidge’s voice snapped through the laughter in the room with an exclamation of “HOLY SHIT!” 

The laughter faded out into confusion, turning to their friend who was sitting with her hands splayed out on the couch, almost lifting herself airborn with how rigid she was. Her mouth was hanging open in an elongated smile and her eyes were wide but wicked, “No way,” she said with a cheshire grin stretching at her lips.   
“No way what?” Hunk asked, ever the gossip, already leaning in eagerly for details.   
Pidge turned to look at Lance and Keith where they were now curled into each other’s side, both blinking at her, unsure where this revelation was going. She didn’t hesitate to explain, “You were both in Lance’s room when I came by earlier  _ weren’t  _ you!”   
“I-I what- I mean- yes?” Lance stammered, glancing at Keith for help and receiving an equally confused response, “why?” 

 

Pidge gasped, smacking at the seat of the couch, “I bet it was a nice release before the sleepover huh?” She raised an eyebrow teasingly and Lance could only watch in flustered horror as a realisation came over the team, including Keith. He watched as Keith understood the meaning behind her singular raised eyebrow and embarrassment flooded Lance’s own cheeks as Keith’s began to resemble tomatoes; Hunk following suit, bless his soul. 

“I KNEW IT!” Pidge shrieked with laughter, practically bouncing, “They were totally fucki-!” Her words were cut off by Hunk’s hand smacking over her mouth but the amusement glinting in her eyes remained, and the sentiment had been received. 

 

Lance groaned, burrowing into Keith’s side to hide his flushed cheeks as the group fell apart. Only when he emerged from his side did Coran speak with a shrug, “It is a normal act my boys! However I must ask that you keep it within the bedrooms! Wouldn’t want someone to walk in now would we!” 

Lance shrieked in response, and he didn’t think Keith had ever been so red. Pidge had officially started crying, laughter coming out in wheezes akin to the noise a rubber duck would make if it was missing a squeak box. Allura was doing her best to keep her laughter concealed by her hands, but her failure to do so was immediately notable as she snickered loudly. Meanwhile Hunk’s head was in his hands as he groaned, unsure whether to laugh or cry.   
Mortifyingly Shiro was nodding in agreement with Coran, “You’re being safe right? We may be in space but I’m sure there are plenty of supplies available, STI’s are still a thing no matter where we are,” this time Keith was the one to shriek.   
“OH MY GOD PLEASE STOP TALKING,” he spluttered, his words slurring together in his embarrassment until they sounded like a single syllable. 

 

Shiro’s lips were twitching into a smirk at the corners, clearly aware of how much he was embarrassing his little brother, “I’m just saying Keith! You can never be too careful!” Keith groaned, shoving a pillow in his face as though to smother himself to death, “When Adam and I first started getting intimate-“ Shiro began before Keith cut him off with a high pitched scream, throwing the pillow at his older brother hard enough to almost bowl him over. Shiro wasn’t even attempting to hide his laughter anymore, chuckling to himself as Keith garbled nonsense, cheeks so red Lance was worried he might be going into cardiac arrest. 

“I hate you so much,” Keith whispered as he leaned into Lance’s waiting arms.

 

“It’s a fact of life short stuff, gotta practise safe sex,” Shiro winked as Keith glared daggers at him from under Lance’s arm.   
Allura snorted loudly, “and on that note I believe it’s my turn?”   
Lance had completely forgotten about the game they were all playing amidst the utter mortification of Coran and Shiro giving them the sex talk. He cuddled Keith closer, tugging the still grumbling boy upwards until they were eye to eye again rather than Keith stuffing himself under Lance’s arm in an attempt to become one with the floor.   
“Keith!” Allura beamed, clapping her hands together as he finally recovered enough from his embarrassment to make eye contact with her, “Truth or Dare?” 

 

Lance saw the tell tale signs of his oh-so-predictable boyfriend gearing up to respond with his usual answer of ‘truth’ but he hesitated, eyes flicking over to meet Shiro’s waggling eyebrows, a teasing smile creeping across the older man’s face. Without another trace of thought Keith responded, “Dare.”   
Allura huffed, clearly having been prepared for the truth that was always expected with Keith. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, leaning backwards against Pidge who Lance now noticed was nudging her side. The eager twinkle in Pidge’s eyes as she whispered something into Allura’s ear was concerning, what was even more concerning was the dare that Allura then declared, “I dare you to receive a lap dance from Lance!” 

 

Keith’s muscles tightened against Lance’s side, Lance felt his own mouth dry as Keith nodded, “Yeah okay.” Lance turned wide eyed to meet Keith’s gaze who was staring sheepishly at him, red faced but looking rather proud of himself. In the background of their shared gaze Allura curiously whispered, “What is a lap dance?” to Pidge, who was giggling too hard to answer her.   
“What are you doing?” Lance hissed, unable to stop himself from smiling at the giddy, flustered smile Keith shot him in response.   
“A dare’s a dare Lancey,” he said, getting to his feet to help Coran set up.   
“Lancey?” Was all Lance could reply with, following Keith to move towards the centre of the room. He was far too distracted by the idea of what was coming to truly track his actions. 

 

Keith was pushed into a chair by a giggling Allura, having been informed of what she had sentenced the two boys to and looking incredibly proud of herself, albeit a touch flustered.   
Coran pressed play on a track of boppy Altean music at Pidge’s request and Lance let himself relax into it. His eyes fluttered closed as his hips swayed in time with the music, the lyrics in an unknown language but the beats as familiar as the blood in Lance’s veins. He let his eyes open and  _ oh _ now this he could work with, Keith’s eyes were widened as they tracked the sway of Lance’s hips.   
Lance could see the bob of his Adam’s apple as he blinked owlishly, cheeks already tinged with a dusting of pink. 

“You ready for this Mullet?” Lance winked, swinging his hips further, grinning as Keith tried for a glare and came up with more of a constipated grimace. 

“I hate you,” was Keith’s only response, but the way his eyes snapped from Lance’s face to his hips said otherwise and Lance smirked. 

 

Ignoring the wolf whistles and laughter of their friends Lance sashayed forward, planting his hands on either arm rest and letting his hips roll towards Keith. He relished in the squawk Keith made in response, the heavy flush now creeping up his boyfriend’s neck and the glare Keith directed at him in an attempt to hide how flustered he really was.   
Lance knew better, “You a little flustered love?” He purred, gently taking Keith’s knees and spreading them so he could slip between much to the amusement of Pidge and Allura, and the horror of Hunk.   
Keith dropped his head into his hands, his blush now so deep that it almost rivalled his earlier embarrassment from Shiro. “I never should have agreed to this,” he groaned and Lance let out a bark of laughter in response, sliding up between Keith’s legs until their faces were aligned.   
“You’re enjoying this come on,” he insisted, nosing at Keith’s jaw until violet eyes poked over the tips of his fingers.   
“I will neither confirm nor deny,” was the grumbled answer Lance received, muffled behind cupped hands which were slowly slipping down Keith’s face to reveal the redness of his cheeks. 

 

Lance planted his hands on both of Keith’s thighs, pushing himself up to peck Keith on the cheek. Waggling his eyebrows he slipped back down to chest height, leaning an elbow on one of Keith’s legs, and cocking his head to stare up at him, never once stopping the movement of his eyebrows. “Do you think I’m sexy?” he asked, shimmying his shoulders until Keith was giggling, hands slipping off his face to reveal a fond smile.   
“You’re such a dork,” Keith snickered, trying to cup Lance’s cheeks in his hands but Lance slid backwards away from him, snapping his hips upwards in a way he knew caught Keith’s attention - although he didn’t stop laughing.   
“Mmhmm,” Lance hummed, stepping back away from Keith and letting the rhythm settle into his hips yet again, “I’m  _ your  _ dork,” he pointed out and Keith nodded through barely concealed laughter as Lance upped the shimmying to overdramatic swaying from side to side, “Stop laughing Mullet this is a serious matter.” 

 

“Yeah Keith it’s a serious matter!” Pidge hollered from the sidelines.   
“God Keith!” Shiro bellowed in response and Pidge echoed the sentiment with a follow up, “ _ God _ Keith!”   
Keith only laughed harder, trying to pull a serious expression but landing more on pursed lips hiding obvious laughter. 

Lance galloped around the chair with wiggling arms, “How are you not finding this sexy?” He gasped, as though mortally offended. At the lack of verbal response - a snort of laughter hardly counts - he pouted, sliding over the arm of the chair until he was lounging across Keith’s lap, arm thrown over his face melodramatically.   
“Oh it’s  _ so  _ sexy,” Keith scoffed through laughter, grabbing Lance’s face with his hands and smushing his cheeks, “Nerd.”   
“Your nerd,” Lance mumbled through the squish of his cheeks. 

Keith smiled so brightly Lance’s heart skipped a beat, “Yeah,” his voice oozed with fondness. With barely a second to react Lance’s cheeks were released and Keith was tugging Lance forward, their lips meeting with a squeak on Lance’s part. Keith’s fingers were threaded into Lance’s hair and the kiss was long but chaste, conservative in front of their friends but saying everything all the same. 

 

In that moment, with his boyfriend kissing him through their smiles, his friends cheering and whistling in the background and laughter echoing through the room, Lance felt at home. If he were to do it all again, he wouldn’t change a thing, memory loss and all. This, with Pidge gagging as Keith deepened the kiss and Shiro wolf whistling, Keith’s giggles breaking their lips apart only for him to regain the kiss again and again  _ and again _ , this was exactly where Lance wanted to be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> massive thank you to the klance writers gc! i seriously dont think i wouldve have had the confidence to get this chapter out if it werent for you guys so thank you  
> and [rachel](https://twitter.com/aImondbIossoms) my wonderful amazing beta, she puts up with so much to get these chapters out and im so grateful for her
> 
> one final reminder that i'm on both twitter ([frecklylance](https://twitter.com/frecklyIance)) and tumblr ([nerdydisneychild](https://nerdydisneychild.tumblr.com/)) please come chat to me im always open to screeching about klance!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> sorry the first chapter's so short, it's kinda set up, someone special turns up next chapter *waggles eyebrows*  
> okay byeee  
> reminder that i'm on both twitter ([frecklylance](https://twitter.com/frecklyIance)) and tumblr ([frecklyylance](https://frecklyylance.tumblr.com/)) so come scream to me if you'd like to :))


End file.
